Mobile
by EternalxInsanity
Summary: School life is hard, and it's even harder for the Calaway twins when they start at yet another new school. Can the girls focus on school or will the boys prove to be the greatest distraction of all? C.Jericho/OC, Raven/OC
1. Prologue Part One

Mobile

Summary: Inspired by Mobile by Avril Lavigne. School life is hard, and it's even harder for the Calaway twins when they start at yet another new school. April, the oldest and most bold, catches the eye of Chris Irvine. Anna, the younger, shyer of the two, catches the eye of Scott Levy, an outcast. Can the girls focus on school or will the boys prove to be the greatest distraction of all? /OC, Raven/OC

Part One Prologue

January: Venice Beach California, Winter 1996.

Venice Beach. A quiet, serene place on the coast of Los Angeles, California. People jogged along the coast as others drove to work. Even at 5:30 in the morning, people were busy, keeping themselves occupied and warm in the light snow that had fallen the night before. They hardly had any time for themselves. One man did, however.

Mark Calaway, who most people knew as The Undertaker, watched as people hurried by, sipping at his coffee as he rested his arms on the front porch of his new house. It was a large Victorian house, a mile from the beach, and only a short walk from the city. In the front yard was a huge oak tree with a tyre swing hanging from its branches. Mark took another swig of his coffee. Inside the house behind him were three sleeping 15 year olds, peacefully tucked up in bed, although Mark guessed his son would be downstairs soon enough, playing video games, and his daughter's would be half under the covers, snoring their heads off.

April, Anna and Gunner were the three main things that kept him from killing himself. He had wanted, so many times, to commit suicide. Jodi had left him broken and, well, not the man he once was. Her death had affected everyone in the Calaway Family, but it had affected Mark the most. He had lost, not only his wife and the mother of his children, but the greatest and best friend he had ever had. He missed her as much as someone could, and never stopped thinking about her. But he needed to be strong for his kids.

A loud ringing from upstairs jerked Mark's attention. He looked up, knowing that his three children were awake. The ringing stopped, and three disgruntled groans echoed from upstairs. He smirked, downing the rest of his coffee before heading inside.

When he reached the kitchen, Mark noticed a glass and a carton of Orange Juice sitting on the bench. He raised an eyebrow, putting his mug on the table with a loud clang. A tallish boy with dark red, almost bronze, blond and black hair, stood up. Mark smiled, picking his mug up again and putting it in the sink.

"Now is one of those very few moments where your sisters aren't here to jeopardise the peace. Tell me you're going to be good this time, Gunner. Please?" Mark said to his son, sitting on the bench. Gunner looked up at his father and gave him a cocky look. "Don't you dare give me that look, Gun. You promised me last night you wouldn't disobey me again."

"I said I would, never said promise," Gunner said as he walked upstairs.

"Gunner Harley Calaway!" Mark called after him, his temple throbbing.

"Way to use his full name, Dad."

Mark spun around and looked at his two identical twin daughters, who wore completely different outfits. Anna's was a dark blue dress with knee high platforms; around her waist was a blue belt, the same colour as her dress. April wore a black and red 'Cranberries' band t-shirt with cargo shorts and sneakers. Mark sighed as his daughters sat on the stools in front of him. He rolled his eyes and slipped off the bench, ruffling his hands through his daughters' hair.

"Oi," April said, straightening out her midnight black hair.

"Watch the hair," Anna said, combing out the knots in her freshly dyed red hair.

Mark grinned and walked into the living room, leaving his daughters to their breakfast.


	2. First Day

Chapter One: First Day

A.N: This chapter was Co-written with Skillet's Lady Goddess

As the long white limousine pulled up outside of the snow covered Venice Beach High, Gunner, April and Anna's jaws dropped open. The building was big and white, with large wooden Oak doors at the front. 3 paths lead from the parking lot, the teachers parking garage and a small shed near the back of the building. If you looked hard enough, the oval, gymnasium and bleachers could be seen over the shed.

April's eyes widened and a delighted grin spread across her face as she looked out the window at the shed. On a big piece of plywood in big red letters read 'Mechanics shed'. April spun in her seat and looked at her father, who was sitting across from her, beside Gunner.

"Can I Dad? Can I take my bike to the shed to get fixed?" she asked, referring to the 1972 Harley Davidson motorcycle that was currently collecting dust in the garage of their new house, next to her father's 1987 Harley.

Mark shrugged, half expecting April to jump at him and hug him, but he could see the cogs turning in his daughter's mind and knew she was thinking about riding her bike for the first time since she had gotten it.

Anna, unlike her sister, was chewing the inside of her lip in anxiety. She wasn't as bold and beautiful (in her opinion, though April respectfully disagreed more often than not) as April; she had always been the one that blended into the lockers and disappeared off the face of the earth. As the limo stopped, her eyes glued themselves to the front doors, where she was expecting a block hole to open up and suck her into oblivion for the day, or maybe the rest of her existence, if she was lucky.

Gunner was sitting beside his father, his headphones covering his ears so he couldn't hear what his sister's and father were saying. Mark ruffled his hair as Anna and April got out of the car. Gunner looked at his Dad. Mark pointed at the open door as his son rolled his eyes and got out of the car.

Anna sucked in a deep breath. She couldn't believe she was going into this huge school. New friends, new teachers to get to know; all of it was a blur. All she wanted to do was go back to her old school where Maria 'Cool-Cat' Kanellis and Ashley 'Pretty Princess' Massaro, the other half of the Bratz, were. She didn't want to be the only one who was considered as the outcast-nerd. She knew it was going to be hell the first day, considering it being almost forty-eight hours since her family had moved from Arizona to California.

Anna shook her head, slowly glancing over, seeing April chewing the inside of her lip. She rolled her eyes. April was always nervous the first day. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes still glanced around. How could she survive this new High school now if she was just getting used to their new house? It was giving her a headache, and having her sister mutter profanities about their father and the big move didn't help either.

Anna glanced back at her sister. There had to be something wrong. She had never seen April this silent about going to school; usually Anna was the one to want to fall off the face of the earth. Did they manage to trade bodies or something and she didn't know about it? Her eyes rolled slightly, glancing back at their surroundings. Cement tables were scattered across the front yard as kids gathered around in their cluster of groups. Her head shook. There had to be about twenty groups around. She spotted the Jocks throwing the football around; the cheerleaders practicing their routine to no music; the skaters shredding against the ramp and the railings. She smiled slightly seeing the principal come out, chasing after them. She giggled to herself, still taking everything in.

Her eyes ran across the field, still checking out the students. Then she sighed. Under a tall shaded tree, stood a group of hard working, straight-A bookworms; the nerds. Her head slowly lowered as her fingers rubbed her temples. She remembered what it was like for April to be picked on by the outcasts, just because she was a little smarter than them. Anna had been a part of that group and she always got into fights with members of her 'clique' just because she stood up for her sister when the situation called for it. April had been the brave one and sucked it up, much the opposite of Anna who would have fallen apart at the seams.

"Why can't I be like you," she muttered, hoping April didn't catch it.

"You want to be me?" April blinked staring at her sister. "That's a little bit stupid considering you're my IDENTICAL TWIN!"

Her head shot up looking at her sister. "April, come on; you're fearless. You do one tiny thing and people love you. They really don't want a nerdy outcast in this school." She glanced back over at that table, seeing them all reading either their textbooks or novels they brought in.

April rolled those slight neon green eyes. "Seriously? Anna, I'm less fearless then you, I can't even get up the courage to ask a question in class!" Anna glared at her sister. April smiled cutely. Changing the subject, she said, "but look, they scream you all over them."

Anna laughed slightly, "Yeah, says you. I just hate being the total opposite of you. Yeah, it's totally normal for twins to be opposites, but I suck, I have no courage, I pretty much blend into the lockers."

April raised an eyebrow. "I don't know if you've noticed but I do too. I blend so far into the lockers I may as well be back at home.

A loud holler of laughter caught both girls' attention. They turned their heads in unison, looking over as a group of boys, about sixteen, taunted the nerds. Anna growled lowly, hoping her sister didn't hear her. April didn't. The oldest of the Calaway's merely rolled her eyes and looked back at Anna. Anna was still looking at the group. The obvious leader of the group snickered as he held a book above a girl's head.

"Hey! Give me that back!" The brunette girl demanded jumping for it.

The guy grinned at her request. "Ah I'm sorry how 'bout no," he hissed, still holding the book over her head.

Anna looked over to her sister. April shook her head. "I'm not going over there and messing with him. Too risky. There is a 99 percent chance that I'll get punched in the sternum." She walked away from her. Anna sighed, finally making a choice. She was not going to let them win. By going up to the group she swore she would never ever go back to, she could change the odds a little.

"Scott! Give me my book back, please!" The brunette called again, hopping up for her book.

Anna shook her head, finally getting to the group, hearing the guys snicker at what the brunette said.

"Awe, I'm sorry Mickie, I didn't know this meant so much to you," Scott teased as his crew chuckled around them.

Anna studied the brunette for a moment. She had wavy shoulder length hair pulled into a half pony tail, little make-up and her clothes were from the late 80s. Then her eyes glanced at the guy. His eyes were like the bluest of oceans, his hair curly and blond, obviously dyed blond over black. His leather jacket, cut-below-the-knee shorts and wrestling boots made him look scary. The look on his face seemed like nothing happened at all and that he was actually amused by the poor girl's struggle to get back her book.

"Scott give me back my book!" Mickie demanded again.

Scott gave a laugh. "No, Mickie, I like your book. Plus you jumping is pretty amusing too." He grinned, watching the hurt look in her eyes.

Anna had had enough. "Dude just give her back the book," she growled. She glared angrily, seeing both groups (the outcasts and the nerds) stare at her. She gulped silently, blinking her eyes as he stared at her. God, did she have to get so much attention? She swore she could feel her cheeks turning red and heating up.

"Oh." Scott batted his eyes, glaring at her. "And what are you going to do about it?" He taunted lightly, putting his guard down.

Anna sighed, walking up to him. Her eyes glared into his as her hand snatched the book out of his hand. "That's what I'm going to do about it." She handed the book back to the girl who smiled gratefully to her. She brought her attention back to him. "And if you do this again, I swear you really don't want to see what happens when I get mad. I'm like the incredible Hulk- nothing stands in my way." She held back her snicker effectively, lying through her teeth.

"Oh really?" Scott threatened stepping up to her, not shooting down her challenge.

"Really." She went to slap him when he grabbed her wrist, stopping this action. They both had a stare down.

Scott's friends gasped, finally recognising the tall girl.

"Man I wouldn't do it!"

They looked over at them, hearing the shortest of them, Derek, warn, "She's new here along with her twin sister and brother. Trust me you don't want to mess with them; their dad will totally kill you. Let's go Scott."

Anna saw him back away from her, glaring.

"This isn't over newbie."

She rolled her eyes at his comment as he ran off to join her friends. Then she turned around and let out a petrified squeak. She had never done anything like that in her life! Maybe she had just decided to get out of the stupid rut she had put herself in and see the light for once. Or maybe she was just plain tired of people like him, bossing people around all the time.

"Hey, thanks for getting my book back from him."

Anna turned in place, looking down, seeing the short brunette girl with her book in her hand, her other rubbing nervously on her forearm.

"Um, you're welcome..."

"Mickie James." Mickie extended out her hand, seeing the taller girl accept it.

"Anna Calaway," Anna announced, smiling sweetly at Mickie.

"ANNA!"

Anna and Mickie spun around to see April running up to them, Gunner by her side. Both of the Calaway's looked at their sister with awe in their eyes. She had never done anything like that in her life!

"Who are you, and what have you done with my sister?" Gunner asked, wrapping his arms around his sister's shoulders. Anna patted his head as April jumped up and down, obviously hyper from the 3 spoonfuls of sugar she had had with her cornflakes.

"I ate her," Anna replied to Gunner's question, smirking as Mickie looked on. Anna rolled her eyes as Mickie smiled and walked away with her textbook in her arms.

Anna, April and Gunner walked away from the lunch tables and made their way towards the main building, two piercing blue eyes following them, a slight glare on his face.


	3. Meeting the Kliq

Chapter Two: Meeting the Kliq

The day drew on as April, Anna and Gunner sat on the bleachers across from the oval. April was happily writing in her song journal as her sister watched the action on the oval. The Venice Beach Dragons football team were practicing for their next game while the cheerleaders danced the routine they had been practicing when the Calaway triplets had arrived. Most of the jocks were watching the cheerleaders in their skimpy outfits- they left little to the imagination. Gunner was lying down on a seat a few seats down from April and was throwing a ball into the air. The wanna-be gangster was bored, and it didn't help that his siblings were practically ignoring him.

Suddenly, something large and man-like covered April's eyes. She grinned, turning her head to look up at her captor.

"Hey Paul," she said as Paul Lévesque, a boy from her Trigonometry class, sat down beside her, his Trig book in one hand and his bag in the other. Anna and Gunner looked at Paul then at each other and burst into hushed fits of laughter. April noticed this and hit Gunner upside the head with her song journal; Anna was too far away to hit, but she'd get her when they got home. "Guys, this is Paul Lévesque, a guy from my Trig class."

"And home room," Paul added, smirk on his face.

Anna studied Paul as the four of them sat there. He had shoulder length blonde hair, a slightly large nose and an even tan. He had piercing brown eyes and full lips, that were always in a smile, no matter how Paul felt, and he wore the most peculiar of clothes. He wore a black t-shirt with 'The Cranberries' on the front in big red letters with faded black jeans with holes in the knees. He wore his sneakers like he was on the run from the cops and his wrist adorned a black wristband with HBK on it in big white letters.

Gunner had noticed his wristband as well and was fighting the urge to yell 'WE KNOW SHAWN MICHAELS' at the top of his lungs. Anna could see the strain on his face and touched Paul's wristband.

"You like Shawn Michaels huh?"

"He's only the best ever!" Paul cried happily, not caring if people stared at him.

Gunner snickered. "Deadman destroys all!"

Paul rolled his eyes, waving his hand. "He's alright. Got a pretty good vertical leap, but one dose of Sweet Chin Music will put even the Deadman to sleep."

"Tombstone destroys all," April and Anna added in unison, giggling at the face Paul made. He scrunched his nose cutely and looked at all three of them for short periods of time.

"A whole family of Deadman supporters? Yikes, what parallel universe have I stumbled into?"

"Do your friends like Shawn as much as you?" Anna asked. Paul tilted his head in thought.

"What friends? Paul hasn't had friends since third grade."

Paul, April, Anna and Gunner all pivoted in their seats to see 3 blond boys and a girl walk up to them. Paul rolled his eyes and moved over so the boy who had spoke could sit next to him.

"And what are you Chris?"

"Your guidance councillor," answered the other blond boys in unison, grinning the same identical grins. The blonde girl started plaiting one of the boy's hair.

"Whoops, intros. April, Anna and Gunner, this is Chris," Paul gestured to the boy beside him who smiled warmly, "Trish," he pointed to the girl who waved without looking up, "Adam and Jay." The two boys grinned mischievously. Paul looked at his friends, noticing one of them was missing.

"Where's Amy?" he asked of Chris who merely shrugged.

"Marella gave her detention for hooking up with Jay in class."

Paul and April both looked accusingly at Jay who shrugged. Anna and Gunner chuckled.

Free period, which was also their last for the day, passed slowly for the new group of friends as they shared jokes, stories and past memories of life that they had shared together. When Chris started telling the story of how his Dad left when he was eight and left himself, his older brother and his mom alone, April felt the ping of pain in her heart, the same feeling she got every time someone spoke about mothers. She, Anna and Gunner had barely known theirs, as she had died when they were 5.

"I swear you're mom needs to get out and have fun dude," the boy known as Adam said, taking hold of Trish's hand. His hair was now plaited in 2 thick braids, hanging limply behind him. Chris snickered at the comment, and how ridiculous his friend now looked.

"To my mom, drinking her life away is fun. It's pretty much why we moved from Winnipeg to here: better beer."

Everyone except April laughed. The only black-haired Calaway suddenly grabbed her bag and book before all but running away. Anna and Gunner went to follow her but Chris put his hand on their shoulders.

"Somehow I think this is my fault."

~X~

April was at her locker putting the last of her school books away when she felt someone's presence behind her. She breathed in deeply, suppressing her tears when she turned around to find Chris Irvine standing behind her. She turned back to her locker and closed it, locking it before turning around and looking Chris in the eyes, a smile on her face.

"I'm sorry if I offended you back there," Chris said, patting her head, his hand sliding down her cheek, and neck then shoulder before falling limply by his side. April smiled softly.

"It's okay. It's just, our mom died when we were 5 so we hardly knew her."

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't know."

"Don't worry about it. I just miss her, no big deal."

Chris shook his head. "Family dying is a big deal." He tilted his head as April let out a sigh. He smiled at her. "I tell you what. How bout I make it up to you somehow. How about I buy you a teddy with my name on it?"

April smiled, giggling as she shook her head. "Ah, if only there were teddies with Chris Irvine on them. Sorry Chris, but don't worry about it."

April started to walk away before Chris ran after her, slowing as he got to her side. When they reached the front doors, they pushed them open together and started to walk outside. Chris ran to the railing and slid down it on his bottom, landing it perfectly at the end. April snickered and walked down the stairs, her bag hung over her shoulder.

"I have to make it up to you somehow." Chris had a determined grin on his face that April could only chuckle at.

"Don't worry about it Chris. Honestly, it was just a slip of the tongue."

April's gaze was drawn to the long white limo out the front of the school, her siblings leaning on it with their bags. She rolled her eyes and turned back to Chris who looked at her quizzically.

"I have to go, sorry Chris. I'll see you tomorrow okay? Bye!" She ran off to join her siblings before Chris could reply.

Chris Irvine merely stood there and looked stupid as April climbed into the limo with her siblings and went home.


	4. The Babysitter

Chapter Three: The Babysitter

The afternoon was dark and lonely as April, Anna and Gunner stepped through the front door of their house. The one thing that always seemed the same at every house they stayed at was the fact that the interior was always dark wooden floorboards with black and burgundy walls. Mark really liked the combination because Jodi had had black hair and a dark complexion. April, Anna and Gunner merely adapted to their surroundings, not caring about the walls or floor.

As they stepped into the kitchen, three simultaneous groans echoed around the spacious area followed by three bags dropping unceremoniously to the floor. Behind the kitchen counter was none other than Shawn Michaels, a can of soda in his hand. The young HBK smiled at the three Calaways as they blinked at him, wondering why he was there.

As if to answer their question, Mark came in from the living room, his duffle bag wrapped around his arm. April scowled.

"You're leaving us with Shawn? Are you nuts?"

Mark nodded his head. "Absolutely mental. But Shawn has promised me no drugs or alcohol until I get back. I'll only be gone for five days, not even a week."

April frowned. She always hated when her dad left for work because she didn't get to see him for a week or more, and she especially hated the Canadian and European tours because they lasted two to three weeks at maximum. Anna and Gunner on the other hand found the fact that their Dad was gone as a sign from above, meaning they could wreak mayhem as long as the house stayed tidy. Shawn would be up for that no doubt.

Mark could see the cogs turning in Anna and Gunner's brains as they grinned mischievously at Shawn, who stuck his tongue out and took a sip of his soda. April frowned and continued upstairs to start on her homework. Mark looked at Shawn as his other two children left the room.

"Promise me the house won't burn down under your care, Shawn. Because I can always ask Owen or Bret to watch them."

Shawn waved his hand dismissively, shaking his head. "They'll be fine, the house will be fine, and they'll be asleep when you get back Saturday night. Promise."

Mark lowered his head as Shawn wondered upstairs. God he hoped Shawn was right.

~X~

Shawn rested against the banister and looked on as Gunner and Anna, the sporty Calaways, threw a basketball around the top half of the house. In front of him was a hallway about five feet wide with three doors on one side, three doors on the other, boxes still piled against the walls, and a large open window at the end, a sofa nestled in front of it. Beside him were two white staircases with shiny gold banisters that lead to the open foyer below. In the middle of the foyer was a long wooden table, a white vase with red roses sitting in the middle of the burgundy surface.

Anna threw the ball to Gunner and it bounced on the polished floor and over Gunner's head, flying towards Shawn. HBK quickly put his can down on the table beside him and tried to catch the ball, failing as it whizzed past him and down to the dining room. A loud smash quickly followed. Three pairs of eyes opened wide as the second door on the left opened up and April stuck her head out, pen tucked behind her ponytail and text book in her hand.

"What the hell happened out here?" she bellowed, scowling again.

Gunner and Anna pointed at each other accusingly. Shawn shook his head, looking down at the broken vase that had been on the table. He winced, knowing Mark was going to kill him for letting Anna and Gunner play ball in the house, and he hadn't even been gone 45 minutes! The Heartbreak Kid backed away from the railing as the three Calaways ran up beside him, observing the damage.

"We are so screwed," Gunner muttered, looking over to Anna, following her gaze as she looked up at Shawn. April scowled, running down the stairs to get the vase pieces.

"It can be fixed," she said from the table, fingering through the pieces of shattered terracotta.

"How?" Shawn asked quizzically, looking at the midnight haired girl as she looked up at him.

"We have super glue somewhere in the kitchen. In a draw I think," Gunner chimed in, knowing exactly what April was thinking.

~X~

In the attic, Anna, Gunner, April and Shawn stood around a small table where the vase stood, large cracks in it, super glue leaking from the holes. Shawn let out a tiny squeak.

"We are so screwed."

The three Calaway's nodded in agreement. April sighed, running down the stairs to the kitchen, grabbing the phone. At the third ring, the phone was answered.

"Hello? Hart residence, Owen speaking."

"Hi Owen, its April Calaway. How are you?" She asked casually, twisting the phone cord around her finger.

"Good. What's up? Did Mark leave you alone with a bad babysitter again?"

"Yes. He left us with Shawn and Mom's Ming Vase just got broken by a basketball. Can you come over and help Shawn?"

"Sure. I'll be there tomorrow, aye," Owen replied happily as April said her goodbyes and hung up.

Anna and Gunner, followed closely by Shawn, entered the room as she was putting the phone down. She looked at her siblings as they stared at her, blinking accusingly. Shawn watched the silent communication between the triplets and shuddered at the thought. He soon returned upstairs with visions of being tied to a power pole and given truth serum in his head.


	5. Arrivals and Soda Bombs

Chapter Four: Arrivals and Soda Bombs

It was Tuesday afternoon when a loud banging on the door jerked Shawn from his nap on the sofa. April, Anna and Gunner were still at school and Shawn thought he had the house to himself. A sudden realisation hit him and he wondered if Mark was behind the door, wanting to throttle him for breaking the vase that was still in the attic. He started to panic as he headed slowly towards the front door. He looked through the peep hole and let out a relieved sigh.

"Hi Owen," he said as he opened it. Owen smiled at him.

"April called yesterday and said you needed help. So that's what I'm here for."

Shawn smiled approvingly as he moved out of the way and let Owen in. Owen walked past Shawn and put his bag on the floor near the door, looking around the house.

"Last time I was here was when I helped Mark and the triplets move in. That was like… 3 days ago." Owen chuckled as Shawn shut the door.

"Yeah well, I've never been here before, and Mark is totally going to kill me if I let those three little alien spawn run lose again."

"They can't be that bad. I've babysat them before and they were good for me."

"They must not like me then. April has been a perfect Angel for me, while Anna and Gunner on the other hand, well," Shawn tilted his head to the side and looked at the roof for a second, following Owen into the living room, "they've been little monsters, running around the house and screaming at the top of their lungs. Good thing April's the oldest because she's more in charge then I am! She's the only thing that can stop them from being crazy peoples. They actually listen to her, which isn't surprising."

Owen laughed as he flopped down onto the plush leather sofa. Shawn laughed as well, sitting on the chair across from him.

~X~

The hot afternoon sun beat down on the Calaway triplets as they trudged up the footpath towards Horizon Heights, where they lived. All the snow from the night before had melted and they didn't expect to see it again for a while. The seagulls screeched over head as the three siblings ate French fries that they had brought from McDonalds. All three had finished school and really didn't want to go home, so they decided to go down to the beach and hang out, like they used to in Miami with their friends before they left over three and a half months earlier. Now, it was just the three of them, and they were happily munching their fries when Anna noticed someone walking along the beach with a little girl tugging on his hand.

"Oh my, gosh," she cried softly, falling into a giggle fit as she saw her blond antagonist pull the little girl onto his shoulders.

"Wow, he's turned soft," April cajoled sarcastically, laughing like a hyena with Gunner. Anna merely watched Scott as the little girl put her hands over his eyes. He lifted one hand off and smirked up at her, pulling her off his shoulders and holding her upside down in front of him. The little girl giggled and flipped out of his arms and landed on the ground, tugging on his hand again, dragging him up the beach. He had a cute grin on his face and was happy, happy to be with the little girl. What amazed Anna the most was that he was actually being… cute. She never would have expected that from him.

A loud groan caught the girls' attention and they both looked at Gunner who had run into a power pole. They both laughed at their younger brother as he rubbed his bruised nose. Gunner had obviously been paying more attention to his Gameboy Colour then he had his walking and smacked straight into the concrete pole.

"It's not funny!" he cried, throwing his empty soda cup at April who ducked. It flew past her and landed on the ground a few yards away.

This gave Anna an idea. Her eyes returned to Scott, who was sitting beside the girl on the beach, a bucket and spade in his hand. The little girl was making a mountain with the sand, pushing it up so it got bigger. Scott was filling up the bucket and making a castle of his own.

"April," she said, turning to her sister. "Give me your soda."

"Why?" 

Gunner saw the mischievous grin on Anna's face and whispered 'Soda Bomb' in April's ear. The oldest Calaway grinned and handed her still full Orange Soda to Anna.

The middle triplet shook up her sister's drink as much as she could before hurling it in Scott's direction. It sang through the air and landed on top of the sand castle that the little girl was making and exploded over them both. April and Anna both exploded in fits of laughter as Gunner crumpled to his knees and bellowed laughter, falling backwards onto the sandy footpath.

"Scott!" The little girl yelled, wiping soda from her eyes. Scott's hair now had a slight orange tint running through his platinum blonde locks and he was soaked.

"I know Grace. I'm soaked too."

Anna bellowed louder than her siblings and was still laughing when Scott picked up Grace and put her on his shoulders and walked towards the city, heading straight for the Calaways. When he reached them, all three were laying on the ground in fits of laughter.

"Which one of you threw the soda at me and my sister?"

April and Anna, still laughing, both pointed at Gunner who was thrashing around and laughing so hard his face had turned pink. They knew lying would only get Gunner bashed, but they didn't want to get in trouble with Scott, who they both assumed was utterly crazy.

Gunner realised what his sisters had done far too late. Scott picked him up and rammed his back into the power pole. Gunner instantly stopped laughing as he saw the look in Scott's eyes.

"You think it's funny to ruin a brother's attempt at rekindling his relationship with his sister? I'm sure you'd do the same thing if your parents got divorced and you only got to see those two idiots once a month." Scott pointed at Gunner's sister's who were still cackling on the ground.

Gunner growled lowly, kicking Scott in the abdomen. No one called his sisters idiots and got away with it. Scott let go of Gunner, clutching at his stomach. The wannabe Gangster helped his sisters to their feet and the three Calaway's bolted down the road as Grace helped her big brother up.

"That was hilarious!" Anna shouted as they ran up the footpath.

"His hair turned orange!" April commented as she led her siblings around a corner. Their house was in range now, behind the large gates of Horizon Heights, and if they continued at their current pace they'd make it before Scott caught them.

Luckily for them, Shawn and Owen were sitting on the front porch talking.

"SHAWN! OWEN!" Gunner yelled when he saw them. They both looked up and noticed Scott chasing after the three children, Grace trailing behind him.

Gunner leaped over the low brick wall in the front yard as his sisters made a mad dash for the back gate. Scott stopped and crumpled to his knees on the footpath beside his sister, out of breath. He looked up and glared at the three teenagers as they looked back at him, snickering and making faces at him. Shawn and Owen shook their heads and went back to their conversation.

~X~

"So she shook up the cup and threw it at Scott and his sister and it exploded everywhere!"

Gunner fell back against the sofa with his box of fried rice in hand as he finished the story. Anna and April, both big fans of Oriental food, were sitting on the floor with boxes of dumplings in their hands while Owen sat on the seat next to Gunner and Shawn sat on the chair. For the past 15 minutes, Gunner had been recounting their day's events, up to the soda bomb being thrown. Owen, who was munching away on his noodles, snorted laughter as Gunner flattened his hair down so the red parts stood out over the blonde and black parts, making him look like Scott when he had Orange Soda through his hair.

"Wow, he must have been pissed," Shawn commented as her put some fried rice into his mouth. Anna and April both grinned at him and nodded.

April, who was looking at Gunner, motioned for him to open his mouth. When he did, she threw a dumpling to him and he caught it, chewing on it then swallowing as Anna stole some of Owen's noodles.

Life in the Calaway Manor was definitely good.


	6. Payback

Chapter Five: Payback

Wednesday morning rolled around as normal. Gunner woke up first and was eating his breakfast while watching TV in the living room. Anna and April sat in the kitchen, eating their cereal and toast while drinking their orange juice. Shawn came down at around 7:45, yawning his brunette head off. Owen was sitting in the lounge room with Gunner, watching TV.

April looked up from her Trig text book when Shawn came down in track pants and a wife beater. She smiled at him as he walked to the fridge and pulled it open. Anna snickered softly at Shawn as he pulled a carton of apple juice from the top shelf and put it on the bench, pouring it into a glass that April had left on the table for him.

"Will you guys be home straight after school or will you be late?" Shawn asked before chugging his juice.

"I will be home, since I have nothing better to do except my homework," Anna replied, finishing off her toast and cereal.

"I have a job interview so I'll be home about five-ish," April said, putting her and Anna's bowls in the sink. "Or later if I actually start today."

"A job interview huh? Where at?" Shawn asked as he sat down beside Anna.

"Venice Beach City Books. It's a bookstore downtown that ranges from Dean Koontz to text books for the school. It's a nice collection if I do say so myself."

"You did say so yourself," Anna cut in, grinning cheekily at her sister, standing up from the table. "Come on or we'll be late." She picked up her bag and slung the two pink straps over her shoulder. April grinned at her sister and picked up her army green duffle bag. They waved to Shawn as they left the kitchen.

"GUNNER!" They shouted to their brother from the front door. He soon joined them with his bag and books as he ran to them.

"Have fun at school, guys!" Owen called from the living room.

"WE WON'T!" Called the Triplets back.

~X~

The long day dragged on with not so much as a glance between the triplets all day. They spent their lunch times with their new friends; April spent her afternoons and free periods with Chris and his friends, Gunner spent them with some boys he had met in Mechanics, and Anna spent her afternoons with Mickie and her friend Barbie. This was how the day went, basic as it may seem, for majority of the afternoon. Classes, recess, more classes, lunch, free period, class.

Anna was trudging back to her locker after her Science class and walked past Scott, who was leaning against his locker at the far end of the corridor. Anna took no notice of him and stopped at her locker, opening it and putting her books neatly in it. She pulled out her pencil case and her writing book and stuffed them in her backpack, along with her trig and calculus books. When she turned around, she was instantly blinded by something hitting her in the eyes. She screamed, dropping her bag to wipe the goo from her eyes. When she looked at her hands, she noticed red and blue paint dripping from her finger tips.

"Oh my, God!"

Scott and Derek, who had just joined him, fell back against their lockers in fits of laughter as she screamed blue murder. They had never seen anything that funny in their entire lives!

As Anna looked up, anger shot through her veins and she stormed across the hallway to Scott as he shouted for Derek to run. He dashed after him and was soon followed by a very angry Anna.

~X~

April was sitting on the steps of the school, her song journal on her lap and pen tucked behind her ponytail, trying to figure out what to write. She had written the first few bars of a song but she couldn't finger out what to write next, and it was driving her a little bit mad. It would have helped if she had her guitar with her.

She was about to give up and go home when she heard her name cried out over the hushed roar of the students out the front. She looked up and saw Gunner waving at her. She grinned, knowing her brother wanted to tell her something really important. She quickly stuffed her book and pen into her bag, lifting the blue backpack onto her shoulder and sauntered over to him, grinning slightly.

"What's up, Ace?" she asked, using his nickname. Gunner grinned. He loved it when anyone used his nickname; it was rare these days because he couldn't find anything he was 'ace' at, like sport or school.

"Guess who got an A on his science test?"

April giggled, pulling her baby brother into a hug. He hugged her back, knowing she was proud of him. Gunner was never good at science, or any other subject that involved numbers, but he had studied hard over the last few days and had finally kicked academic butt.

"Proud of you, Ace. You proved me wrong, again," April coaxed, grinning mischievously.

A shrill cry jerked them from their hug and they spun on their heels, seeing the big oak doors fly open and Scott fall headfirst down the stairs. The next thing they saw was Anna, covered in yellow, red and blue paint. They had to cover their mouths just to muffle their laughter because they knew they couldn't hold it in and they knew Anna would kill them if she saw them laughing at her new appearance.

Anna's shoulders rose and fell with her shallow breathing as she looked down at Scott whose finger was rubbing underneath his right eye, from where he had been punched. Who knew a girl as thin and weak as Anna could swing a brilliant right hook? Scott scooted backwards on his butt as Anna stepped down the stairs. April and Gunner saw the rage-filled look in her eyes and ran to her side, gripping her arms and making sure she went no further.

"Whoa! Anna! Calm down!" April hollered, red paint dripping onto her manicured fingers. Anna shuddered against their grasp, knowing she had lost it. She turned and cuddled into April as her sister's arms wrapped protectively around her.

"You evil bastard!" Gunner yelled, hugging his sisters around their shoulders as Anna cried between them. Scott stared up at the triplets and blinked, realising he had definitely missed something important that had made Anna snap- maybe a fear of paint?

"Come on Anna, let's go home." April hugged her sister tighter and rubbed her back as she led the three of them down the stairs and across the yard.

A long, white limousine pulled up to the curb as they reached the area. The door opened and 3 very familiar faces smiled at them. Shawn had the dorkiest grin on his face, Owen smiled sweetly and Mark, who had returned early from Los Vegas, climbed out through the sun roof and crossed his arms as he leant onto the roof of the limo.

"DAD!" April and Gunner cried together.

"Well I'm glad I'm not forgotten," Mark chortled, smiling sweetly at his children. He noticed Anna's head buried in her sister's bosom. He raised an eyebrow, still smiling. "What's wrong, Bunny-Boo?"

Anna's head shot up when she heard her nickname. She turned in her sister's arms as they dropped to April's side.

"Dad?" Mark disappeared inside the limo before Anna saw him.

"The one and only."

"DADDY!" Anna cried as Mark stepped out of the limo. He was soon glomped by all three of his children as they hugged him to death. With his arms to the side, Mark blinked as Shawn and Owen snickered. Mark looked over the heads of his children and saw most of the students out the front staring at him. Scott on the other hand was being helped to his feet by Derek.

"Why are you home early?" Gunner asked at the risk of being slapped by his sisters. They both slapped him upside the head and grinned at their father as he took their school bags. He gave them to the driver and put them in the back of the car as April, Anna and Gunner entered the car. The Deadman climbed in after them.

"Heard about Mom's vase," Mark stated flatly, looking at Shawn with a death glare in his eyes. Shawn shrank back in his seat beside Owen. Owen simply grinned.


	7. Us Against The World

Chapter Six: 'Us against the World'

A.N: Title belongs rightfully to Play and is from the 'Holiday in the Sun' soundtrack.

The Calaway house was dark and gloomy as April returned home from her interview that night. It had gone relatively well; she had gotten the job at least. And she had started the working day with a very long list of jobs to do which included cleaning book cases and stacking new books. It had taken quite a lot out of her and now all she wanted to do was sleep but she had Trig homework to do.

A dark shadow was lounging on the sofa when she entered the room. She flicked on the light and looked down at the back of her father's head. Mark looked up as soon as the light came on and smirked at April as she flopped down onto a lazy boy.

"Hard day?" Mark asked, passing her the bowl of popcorn that had been sitting on his chest.

"Sort of, I was kinda hoping to not actually work today but I started right away and had to stack bookshelves and clean them," April replied, taking a handful of popcorn. She popped a few pieces in her mouth and turned her attention to the television where WCW Monday Nitro was playing a re-run. "Who's winning?"

"Not really paying attention but DDP is fighting Hogan in a steal cage."

"Nice."

Mark turned his attention back to the screen and continued eating his popcorn. April pulled her Trig book from her bag and started on her homework.

The night drew on and it was close to midnight when April decided to go up to bed. She kissed her father goodnight and wandered upstairs to her dark and box filled room. She still hadn't unpacked. Not that she would either. She knew for a fact they would be leaving in a few weeks, a month tops and unpacking was just another form of attachment. And she knew it hurt more when she got attached which is why she never wanted to leave Phoenix in the first place; she missed Ashley and Maria too much.

Once she flopped down onto her bed, the flood gates opened and she started to cry.

~X~

The next Thursday was the day of the Winter Carnival; The Triplets had seen posters around the school advertising the event. They had the entire day to buy things and eat cotton candy and play games. April and Anna linked their arms and watched all the colourful lights and listened to the sounds. It was all amazing.

"Welcome to the one day of the year where I actually enjoy being at school," Chris said as he stepped up beside April. Amy and Jay were with him, their hands linked. Chris looked at April. "Well today and the fall formal."

"You like going to the fall formal?" April asked as the five of them started walking towards a ride on the oval.

"Only coz he spikes the punch," Amy cooed, jumping onto her boyfriend's back. Jay held onto her legs and smiled like an idiot.

"Nice," April replied, grinning cheekily.

The five friends got to the front of a line leading to the rollercoaster when the familiar sound of guitar riffs filled the air. April and Anna both looked in the direction of the stage set up in the middle of the oval, their mouths dropped open in shock.

On the stage, jumping around like they were high on speed, were none other the Rikki Rocket, CC Deville, Bobby Dall and Bret Michaels, the members of Poison.

"Oh, my God," the twins said together, running off to go watch their favourite band perform live.

Chris blinked, looking at Jay and Amy before running after them.

~X~

Gunner, having found himself with no friends again, sat on the bleachers and over looked the festivities. His sister's had abandoned him, yet again, and he was forced to be a loner. Not that that was anything different. When it came to friends, he had always been a little bit too different for any of the cliques. Even the gangsters, who Gunner considered to be his allies, stared down their noses at him when it should have been the other way around.

A loud bellow of laughter caught Gunner's attention as he turned his head slightly. He groaned; the outcast kids, Scott and Derek leading the way, had come to mock him. He rested his head on his arm, which was resting on his raised knee, and shook it, not believing his luck. Not only had he managed to be left behind by his sisters, he had been singled out by the bullies too. Brilliant.

"Well, if it isn't Gunner Calaway," Scott said as he sauntered over, a slight swagger in his step. Gunner tried not to glare at him but he failed.

"Not interrupting a private conversation are we?" Derek added, grinning like an idiot.

Gunner rolled his eyes and went to grab his bag. Scott grabbed his wrist and pushed him away, sending the youngest Calaway to the seat below with a soft thud.

"Awe, don't leave on us Gun. We're just having a little fun."

"At someone else's expense? Doesn't seem like that much fun to me."

Gunner pushed himself up from the seat and ripped his duffle bag from Scott's grasp, which caused the grunge boy to glare at him. "I'll be going now."

"Whoa, not so fast," Derek chortled from beside Scott. Both blond boys stared down at Gunner. Gunner looked up at them both and swallowed back the lump that was forming in his throat. Both boys were a lot bigger then he was. _This is going to hurt._

~X~

April, Chris, Paul and Anna were standing at the cotton candy stand when Trish and Adam ran up, hand in hand.

"A fight just broke out on the bleachers," Adam said, out of breath. Trish nodded to confirm.

"Between who?" Chris asked, taking a piece of Paul's cotton candy.

"Scott and his boys. Dunno who they're picking on this time."

"Let's go find out," Anna said, taking a sip of her soda.

The six of them made their way through the slowly building crowd around the bleachers and the two Calaway girls looked on in shock.

Currently getting the crap beaten out of him was their little brother. Gunner was curled up in a futile ball, his lower lip cut open. Around his eyes were slowly purpling bruises. April felt a fire burn inside her and her hands curled into fists. Anna did the same and they pushed their way through the crowd.

"HEY!" Anna cried, getting Scott and Derek's attention. They both looked at the girls with disbelief.

"You wanna hit someone, hit us," April added, handing her duffle bag to Chris. He blinked at her.

"Okay then," Scott said, cracking his knuckles. Derek grinned evilly and followed Scott down the steps.

The Calaway girls smirked at each other before swinging two perfect right hooks into the jaws of Scott and Derek. Both blonds fell backwards into the steps and looked up in surprised shock. April grinned evilly before hitting a perfect drop kick to Derek's abdomen. Anna swung her leg around and her left stiletto heel connected with Scott's temple. He fell flat on his face beside Derek who was a blubbering mess. Before they could finish them off, Scott and Derek fled with the rest of their friends.

Anna huffed and ran to Gunner's side as Chris and Paul helped him to his feet.

"Are you okay bro?"

"Yeah. Man, they hit hard," Gunner seethed, rubbing the back of his head. He looked at the tip of his fingers and almost fainted at the sight of his own blood. Gunner was definitely squeamish. April and Chris both grabbed hold of Gunner's right arm as he fell backwards, Paul and Anna gripping his left.

The crowd parted as the five of them, followed closely by Trish and Adam, passed by.

A small brunette girl, who had seen the entire thing transpire because she had been by Derek's side at the time, followed behind them, far enough away not to be seen.


	8. Accidental Discovery

Chapter Seven: Accidental Discovery

A.N: Rated M for Mild Drug use. I should also like to point out that I really do hat the way my cousin has attacked Raven and his drug problems... fucking bitch -_-

It was finally Saturday in the Calaway household and Gunner was back on his feet. The shot he had taken to the back of the head had left him weak and bed-bound for 2 days, but he was finally able to move around again, much to the delight of his siblings and their friends.

Mark wandered into the living room that afternoon and stopped short. Instead of the usual three teenagers sitting in his living room, there were nine. Anna and April were sitting on the sofa throwing popcorn at two blond boys and Gunner was sitting on a lazy boy, two girls sitting on the arms, comforting him. Two more boys were sitting on the sofa beside Anna and April.

"Am I missing something?" Mark said suddenly, gaining the attention of all nine teenagers. "Because I'm pretty sure I didn't adopt six teenagers."

"Oops," Anna said, going red in the cheeks. She picked up a pillow and put it to her face.

"Sorry Dad," April added. "I guess we forgot to mention the guys coming over huh?"

"Yeah, you did," Mark said before he was glomped by the two blond boys.

"OH, MY GOD!" They both yelled at the same time. Mark blinked.

"Adam, Jay, guys get off," Gunner said quietly but loud enough for everyone to hear. The two boys let go and smiled up at Mark.

Anna and April both sighed, seeing the look on their Dad's face. Mark wanted to watch TV by himself and wanted the teenagers gone from the house, but mainly just the living room. April took hold of Chris and Paul's wrists and led them from the room while Anna took hold of Jay and Adam's legs and dragged them from the room. This was the hint for everyone else to follow and they did, Amy and Trish lagging behind to help Gunner.

Mark looked at the door as the last of them left.

"Pfft," he huffed, "Teenagers."

~X~

"So what do you guys wanna do?" Chris asked as he, April, Trish, Amy, Jay, Adam and Paul walked down the boardwalk along the beach. People skated past them and people walking their dogs waved as they went past.

"Dunno about you guys," Adam said, a grin forming across his face, "But I wanna go swimming."

"That's stupid, it's 30 degrees!" Trish interjected, running her fingers through her hair.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"We'll see about that." And with that, Adam picked Trish up bridal style and dropped her off the side of the pier. She landed with a loud splash in the cold ocean which made everyone laugh. Trish screamed up at Adam as he leant over the side and grinned at her.

"Don't fall in, Copeland," Jay snorted, rubbing his hands together.

"As if," Adam replied, not looking away from his flailing girlfriend. He'd catch hell for this but he didn't care; seeing Trish soaked from head to toe in sea water was too funny to pass up.

Jay and April looked at each other, sly grins on their faces. They snuck up behind Adam and grabbed his legs, sending him headfirst over the pier railing and into the sea beside Trish. Chris, Paul, Amy and even Trish howled with laughter as Adam's head reappeared.

"CANONBALL!" Chris and Paul shouted together, running past April and Jay and jumping off the pier. Amy soon followed, diving headfirst into the deep water. Jay looked at April and grinned evilly.

"Your turn," he cooed, picking her up. April struggled against his grasp but failed as she was dropped into the sea. She landed beside Chris who was laughing his head off. Jay jumped in after her and the seven friends floated in the cool blue sea.

~X~

Gunner and Anna, who had decided to decline the invitation to go to the pier, walked underneath that same pier and just talked. Not about anything in particular, just talked. It was normal for Anna and Gunner to just hang out without April as they were the younger and more immature Calaways while she was the older, more responsible of the three teenagers. Besides, she was a Daddy's girl as it was.

Gunner jumped onto a rock that was in the middle of their path and waited for his sister to catch up. She jumped from one rock to another and landed on a smaller rock beside him.

"Wish Arizona had a beach like this," she said, stepping carefully onto another rock.

"Would have been cool," Gunner added, following her lead.

When they came to the end of the pier, they stopped short.

Scott Levy was sitting in the damp sand, a straw in his hand. A white powder was resting on a rock in front of him and he was sniffing it with the straw. Both Calaway's hid behind a pillar and watched Scott as he indulged himself.

"What's he doing?" Gunner whispered to his sister, glancing behind him. Anna shrugged.

"I think he's sniffing cocaine."

"At sixteen?"

Anna nodded, shrugging her shoulders. She stepped out from behind her brother as Scott passed out on the pale sand, his straw falling into the ocean and floating away. The redhead carefully jumped from stone to stone before she reached the sand, stepping off and putting a hand under Scott's head, lifting it up slightly.

Gunner looked at his sister.

"Is he breathing?" he asked absent-mindedly, remembering the brutal beating he had received from Scott and Derek two days beforehand. He was clearly still sore after it.

"Yeah," Anna said after a moment. "Come here and help me. We gotta get him back home. Dad will know what to do."

"Dad's gone back to work, Bunny-Boo."

"Shit."

"What do we do?"

Anna looked at her brother then back at her tormentor. That's when she noticed fully how handsome he was. He had soft skin that had a tinge of brown to it, perfectly shaped eyebrows and thin lips. The wind blew his soft curly hair into his eyes but Anna brushed it away as Gunner came to her side, helping Scott up. They both struggled to get him upright but they somehow managed to. He was like a dead weight as they dragged him along the sand and rocks and back along the pier.

Even if they hated him, they were going to help him, whether he liked it or not.


	9. Hanging Out

Chapter Eight: Hanging Out

The sky had darkened overhead when April and Chris trudged up the front path of April's house in the Heights in their wet clothes. Chris's 'Shawn Michaels' t-shirt was soaked and most likely ruined and April's 'Back to the Future' shirt was definitely ruined but they were happy because they had fun. The others had to either go home or to their part time jobs so it was just the two of them.

April stuck her key into the lock on the door and turned it. The door clicked and she pushed it open. Chris shivered as he followed April into the warm house. A whoosh of hot air ran past him as the heaters turned on.

"Wow," he said, rubbing his biceps. April put her damp coat onto the coat rack beside the door and took his from him.

"Dad had it installed yesterday. Automatic heating," April said as he nodded his head in thanks.

They smiled at each other before a loud clang echoed from the kitchen. April blinked before following the sound, Chris trailing behind her.

"Gun, you dumbass!" Anna cried as April and Chris walked into the room. Gunner glared at his sister, picking up the bottle he had dropped.

"It wasn't my fault! My hands are cold!"

"What's going on in here?" April asked, gaining her siblings' attention.

"Nothing," Anna murmured, turning around. She was about to walk into the foyer and go upstairs to her room when her sister grabbed her hand.

"What's going on?" April pressed, looking at her sister in the eyes.

Anna looked at her sister's demanding eyes and knew she couldn't lie to her older sister. April could always see through lies, even when her own judgment was clouded by something else. It was either that or the psychic connection she had to her siblings told her otherwise.

"We found Levy passed out on the beach and we brought him here to see if we could help," Anna finally admitted.

April sighed. _Always the compassionate one._ "Where is he now?"

"Upstairs in my room. He was taking cocaine and I didn't know what to do."

"Okay then. Did you call an ambulance?"

Anna went red in the face, as did Gunner.

"I never thought of that." 

Chris snickered as April clapped her hand against her forehead.

"My siblings are idiots," she grumbled, heading into the foyer and going upstairs. Chris and Anna followed her while Gunner stayed in the kitchen and read his comic book.

When they reached Anna's room, her door was slightly ajar as to let the warm air into the room. April pushed the door open and found Scott lying on Anna's bed, unconscious. She rolled her eyes.

"Did you check to see if he was breathing?"

"Yes," Anna said, pushing past her sister and walking to the room. She turned on her heater and aimed it in Scott's direction as the warm air flooded the room. April stepped into the room and Chris followed behind her, shutting the door behind him.

"Is he alive?" the blond asked sarcastically. Anna glared at him before soft murmuring jerked her attention elsewhere.

Scott was beginning to stir and had rolled his head to the side. Anna pulled her custom made 'Bunny-Boo' beanbag towards her bed and sat in it, looking at her tormentor. His eyes fluttered open and he stared blurrily around the room. His hand twitched and he looked over at Anna, his eyes glazed over.

"Where am I?"

"At my house," Anna said, patting his forearm. "You were passed out on the beach. I found you and brought you here."

"Why?" Scott's voice was cracking but Anna understood him. She blinked, thinking for a moment.

"Because you needed help."

"Scott," April said, looking down at the blond from her position at the door, "How long have you been taking cocaine?"

Scott blinked up at her, as if contemplating her question, but she knew he had 'blurry eyes' as she liked to call it. 'Blurry eyes' was when you had a glazed look and you couldn't make out anything. It was usually caused by excessive drug use and passing out all the time; she had seen it in a lot of the people her father worked with.

"I can't… remember," he drawled. He ran his hand through his soft blond curls and sat up slowly, looking around. April glared at him.

"Think," she stated flatly, sitting on her sister's desk, hoisting herself onto the wooden surface, crossing her legs in front of her. Chris sat on the floor in front of her and smiled.

Scott bit his lip. "If I tell you do you promise not to tell anyone?"

Anna, April and Chris nodded.

"I've been sniffing coke since my parents got divorced, which was like… 11 months ago."

"Wow," Anna said, patting his hand.

"It's a wonder why you're not dead yet," April sneered, grinning evilly at her sister's tormentor. Scott sneered back, sitting up.

"If Anna had of left me on the beach I would be, but I guess she was just being nice," he said, looking at Anna. She smiled softly, snuggling further into her beanbag. Scott patted her hand, smiling at her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Anna replied sheepishly.

Chris and April both mock hurled before leaving the room in fits of laughter.

Anna looked at her Superman blue painted nails and then looked back at Scott who was rubbing the back of his head nervously. She smiled up at him and they began talking and getting to know each other.

~X~

Chris sat down in the overstuffed beanbag in the tree house out in the back yard and looked up at April as she stood at the huge open window and looked at the sunset. It had been a long, tiring day and all she wanted to do was relax but her annoying sister had to bring a psychopath home- brilliant.

April rested her head on the glossy window pain and looked out at the glowing form of L.A. It was a shame that she'd be leaving it in a week or two and it just wasn't fair anymore. Yeah, she had put up with moving for close to eleven years but it was getting old, really, really quickly. She wanted to stay in one place and have friends and a boyfriend and go to prom and do all the things that normal kids her age did. Instead she was picked up, dropped in some random city on the continent and had to start life all over again.

Chris could see the cogs working in April's head and looked at her quizzically. He hadn't known her very long but he felt himself drawn to her somehow, like an inner magnet was reaching out for her. He wanted to help her become more confident so he could ask her out but he didn't know how.

"April," He said, standing from the beanbag. She turned slightly and glanced at him, a sad look on her face. "What's wrong?"

April swallowed back the lump building in her throat. She wanted to tell him they were leaving soon, but how could she? She would be breaking her own heart because she liked him a lot; enough for her heart to be detached from her body and put on her sleeve for him to have anyway.

"Chris, what would you do if I suddenly disappeared over a weekend and never come back?" she asked of him, sitting on the dusty wooden floor beside him. He sat back down in the bean-bag and looked at her.

"I'd probably cry, to be perfectly honest," he said, his cheeks flushing red. April smiled shyly.

"There's a slight possibility that I won't be here in about two weeks."

"Why?"

"My Dad gets depressed easy and when he gets sick of a place, he'll throw dart at a random place on the American Continent and we'll move there. It usually happens once a month," she explained, feeling a weight lift from her shoulders. She had wanted to tell someone but she hadn't found the strength to. "He hasn't given us a chance at a normal childhood since Mom died."

"That sucks," Chris said sadly. He looked at his old sneakers before raising his head up to look at April, her bright green eyes staring back at him. God, those green eyes could drown him in seconds if he wasn't careful. "How are you at long distance relationships?"

April blinked. "Well, I have two friends in Miami that I talk to every weekend over the phone and friends from when I was little that I try to talk to. Why?"

Chris took hold of the opportunity and took hold of April's hand, pulling her closer to him. He leant in and captured her lips in a searing kiss, needing to feel her close to him.

April melted into his kissed then pulled away, scared. No one had ever done that to her before. She felt her eyes brim with tears and she bit her lips, blinking them away. She sat back down onto the dusty floor and put her head in her hands. The tears started to flow and she couldn't stop them. God, how she hated Chris right now for making her think this way. She couldn't attach herself to one single person because it would be too painful if she left and never came back.

"Don't make me do this," she muttered, her words muffled by her hands cupping her mouth.

"Do what? Be happy for once in your life?" Chris said, slipping off the beanbag and sitting on the floor beside her. He took her shoulders in his hands and rubbed them, drawing affectionate circles on her soft, tanned skin.

"Don't make me get attached to this place when I'll be leaving it soon."

Chris could feel her pain. He had never wanted to leave Winnipeg for the sunny city of Venice Beach; he wanted to stay with his Dad. But he couldn't have, his drunken mother wouldn't have let him.

"You need to talk to your Dad," he said, patting April's hand.

"No need."

Both Chris and April jumped about a foot in the air at the sight of Mark standing in the doorway to the tree house.

"Dad," April hissed, holding a hand to her chest. Her heart raced in her ribcage. "Is there a chance of you knocking next time before you give Chris and me a heart attack?" She glared back at her father as a slight smirk crossed his lips.

"Sorry, didn't know." Mark looked at the two teens before settling his gaze on his daughter.

April shook her head. "Ok so what are you doing here then?" She glanced over to Chris who still looked stunned about her father's sudden appearance. Or he was still bugged out over the fact that her father was the Undertaker.

Mark grinned, resting his tired arms against the doorframe. "You know how we move like… once a month?"

"Yeah?" April said, a lump forming in her throat. She knew that tone; he had heard every word of her conversation with Chris. Chris's hand slowly made its way down her arm and towards her hand, unknown to the Undertaker.

"Change of plans."

April's eyes widened, shifting around the tree house. Mark saw his daughter look back at him while her head tilted to the side.

"What do you mean, change of plans?" She questioned still seeing her father smiling. She blinked, confused. He hardly ever smiled anymore, not since Jodi had died. She held her breath for an instant, waiting for his reply. The warmth from Chris's hand holding hers ran up her arm and into her cheeks and she blushed.

"I have officially decided that we will not be going anywhere. I was told by a little birdie that my three teenage children haven't had a chance at a normal childhood since their Mom died," he answered, seeing his daughter get to her feet.

"So, what you're saying," she slowly moved close to her father, "is that we're not moving?"

He winked, smiling at his oldest daughter. April squealed, running over to her father and wrapping her arms around his neck in a bear hug. "Thank you Dad!" She kissed his cheek before letting go and heading back to Chris who also happened to be smiling.

Mark smiled slightly, turning to leave. He stopped, glancing back, seeing Chris look at him. "Oh and just so you know, Chris, if you do plan on hurting her, you're going to have to go through me and possibly Anna and Gun."

Chris's eyes widened, nodding his head.

April glared at her father. "Dad!"

"Just to make sure he knows, April, you know I'm protective of you and Anna."

She rolled her eyes as Chris replied, "Yes, Sir."

"Good, have fun kids." April saw her father leave on that note, finally giving them privacy again. She shook her head, glancing back at Chris who smirked slightly.

"Looks like you're not moving at all." She smiled when he said those words, looking up into his eyes.

This time, if her father wasn't lying through his teeth, it would be different.


	10. The Best Day

Chapter Nine: The Best Day

A.N: Title and Song belong rightfully to Taylor Swift and are from the album 'Fearless'. P.S: I edited it a tiny bit so it makes more sense.

As Sunday morning rolled around, April was curled up in her bed, sleepy and half-awake. Saturday afternoon had been very eventful; she'd gotten a cold from being dropped into freezing-cold sea water, had been told that she wouldn't be leaving and had gotten a boyfriend all in one day. Perfect.

As she let out a sneeze, the door to her room opened and her father walked in, a smile on his face, a cup of steaming hot chocolate in his hand.

"I thought you could use some cheer up," he said, handing her the cup. She smiled as he sat down.

"Thanks, Dad," she sniffled, taking a sip of the hot liquid. It burned against her throat and made her feel a little better.

"You know," Mark said, running his hand through his dark red hair, "I'm leaving tomorrow to go back on the road and won't be back until Saturday night."

"I know," April replied before sneezing again.

"So, I was thinking, if you're up for it, we go shopping, just the two of us."

April's mouth dropped open as she stared at her father. A half-smirk crossed his face and he looked at his daughter, a playful glint in his eye. He _never_ went shopping, ever. It was a rule: Men did not go shopping. Especially Mark 'the Undertaker' Calaway.

"Are you serious?"

"Gunner and Anna aren't here and Shawn went home so I figured, hey, what the hell, it's about time I spend some time with mini-me." Mark ruffled his daughter's long, wavy locks as she giggled, putting her empty cup on the side table.

"I'd love to."

~X~

As the afternoon drew on, April and Mark walked through the crowded Plaza that was Windward. Being a Sunday, the plaza was relatively quiet and April and Mark were just enjoying themselves. The oldest of his three children had four shopping bags in her hands while The Deadman only had one but April didn't care; it was just fun to hang out with her Dad.

As they sat down at a café for lunch, the black-haired girl smiled at her father.

"This was really fun," she said, taking off her cowboy boots. The sand beneath the table felt cold against her toes and she dug them in deep, a chill running up her back.

"If you say so. I don't know how you can do this all the time though," he replied, putting his bags on the table.

"Why's that?"

"It's a bit tedious, shopping for things you don't need."

April smirked at her father. "But I need clothes."

"Do you need shiny diamantes as well?"

April grinned. She had always had a knack for creating perfection out of nothing when it came to clothes. It had been her idea to embroider hers, Anna's, Ashley's and Maria's nick-names onto the back of their jeans and track pants. Angel was the name written on the back of hers, always in blue.

"Yeah."

"If you say so." Mark turned his head as their lunch was delivered to them. A cute waitress put a tray of French-fries on the table and waited for Mark to pay her. He did and then she skated away. The Deadman turned his head back towards his daughter.

"So what are you going to do now that we're staying?" He put a French-fry in his mouth. April scrunched her nose and considered his question. What _was_ she going to do? Well clearly she was going to keep her job, so she'd have to tell her manager, CJ, that she was staying. Then she'd have to tell her friends. Chris already knew but the others needed to find out from her.

"Well?"

April looked up at her father and blinked; she'd drifted off.

"I think I'll take it one day at a time and plan from there," she said, her hands following her words in random gestures as she spoke. "How's that?"

"That works." Mark smiled and flung a fry at her.

~X~

It was Sunday night when Mark found his daughter sitting in the attic of their house, going over old boxes full of junk. He found her, wrapped up in a blanket with her guitar on her knees, a note book and two open photo albums in front of her.

"Bit late for you to be up here isn't it?" he asked, stepping into the large space. April looked up, smiling. Her nose had a slight red tinge to it but she seemed okay.

"I was finishing off my song. Want to hear it?"

"Sure." Mark sat down beside her on the floor as she picked up a photo album. The first photo he saw was all of his family, including Jodi, sitting on a park bench in Austin, Texas. Each of the five Calaway's was dressed as something different; it was Halloween. A date was written underneath it; October 31st, 1985.

April started to play her guitar and Mark was instantly sucked in. His daughter was so talented on the guitar it amazed even him.

_'I'm five years old, it's getting cold I've got my big coat on,'_ she sang, looking at the picture, her eyes welling with tears as her mother's face smiled up at her. _'I hear your laugh and look up smiling at you, I run and run,'_

_Past the pumpkin patch_

_And tractor rides,_

_Look now- the sky is gold._

_I hug your legs and fall asleep,_

_On the way home._

Mark smiled, remembering that Halloween. April, Anna and Gunner had fallen asleep in the backseat of the car, all lying on each other, while he and Jodi sat in the front holding hands. Then he remembered that that was the very last Halloween Jodi had ever seen as she had died a month later.

_I don't know why all the trees change in the fall  
I know you're not scared of anything at all  
Don't know if Snow White's house is near or far away  
But I know I had the best day  
With you today_

April stopped playing and pointed to the other photo album. This one was open to a picture of April sitting on her father's shoulders with a shopping bag in her hand. She had freckles across the bridge of her nose and blonde tips in her hair- a look she hadn't had for two years now. She looked completely different. Under the photo was written 'Cheer-up with Dad- September 11th, 1993'

Mark looked at April as she started to play and sing again.

_I'm thirteen now  
And don't know how my friends  
Could be so mean_

I come home crying and you hold me tight and grab the keys

And we drive and drive  
Until we've found a town  
Far enough away

And we talk and window-shop  
Until I've forgotten all their names

I don't know who I'm gonna talk to  
Now at school  
I know I'm laughing on the car ride home with you  
Don't know how long it's gonna take to feel okay  
But I know I had the best day  
With you today

Mark felt the tears well up and he quickly wiped them away. He could sense the truth behind April's lyrics and couldn't help but smile.

"This is the part where you can cry, Dad," April said, speeding up the tempo of the song.

_I have an excellent father  
His strength is making me stronger  
God smiles on those who are younger  
Inside and out  
They're better than I am_

I grew up in a pretty house  
And I had space to run  
And I had the best days with you

Mark felt the tears well up and he let them fall, a smile gracing his lips. April could always write songs that pulled at his heart strings.

April put her guitar down on the dusty floor and picked up a video tape. She blew on it and showed it to him. It was black with a blue label on it. It read 'January 9th, 1984' on it in the same familiar scrawl that Mark recognised from his wedding certificate. _Jodi._ The name itself brought a smile to his face and he looked at his daughter.

April smiled back and picked her guitar back up.

_There is a video I found from back when I was three._

_You set up a paint set in the kitchen and you're talking to me._

_It's the age of Princesses and Pirate ships and the seven dwarfs._

_My Daddy's smart and she was the prettiest lady in,_

_The whole wide world._

_Now I know why all the trees change in the fall  
I know you were on my side  
Even when I was wrong  
And I love you for giving me your eyes  
Staying back and watching me shine_

And I didn't know if you knew  
So I'm taking this chance to say  
That I had the best day  
With you today

As April stopped playing, she heard sniffing and looked beside her; her father had broken down into tears and was running his fingers through his dark red hair.

"That was beautiful, Angel," he said, pulling her into a hug.

"I meant every word, Dad," she replied, hugging her father's broad shoulders. "You're my best friend."

Mark smiled and buried his face deep within his daughter's hair.


	11. Confrontations

Chapter Ten: Confrontations

Paul, Jay and Amy sat on the front steps of the school the next day and waited anxiously for the arrival of Chris, who had called all of them and told them he had surprise for them, and the Calaway Triplets. Adam and Trish, who were sitting on the grass below them, braided each other's hair as they waited for their friends.

At last, a long, white limo pulled up to the curb and the door opened. Anna, who looked like she could be on the cover of a magazine in her denim jacket, purple sweater, black jeans and black stilettos, stepped out first, flanked by none other than Scott Levy. Paul, Jay and Adam's jaws dropped open at the sight of Scott with his usually messy, blond hair tied back in a tight pony-tail, his Metallica 'Death Magnetic' t-shirt and his faded black jeans neat and tidy and his army boots tucked beneath his jeans as opposed to his jeans being tucked into them. Scott smiled meekly and pulled his duffle bag's strap further up his arm, Anna trailing along behind him.

Gunner was the next to leave the limo. In his black and white cargo shorts, 'Run-DMC' hoody and black converse sneakers, he looked more like a gangster than ever. He had his black duffle bag slung lazily over his shoulders and had a grin on his face as he followed Anna and Scott up the path.

The next to leave the limo was April, flanked closely by Chris, who was grinning from ear to ear. April wore her black hair up in a loose pony-tail and her neck was adorned with Chris's black string chocker-chain, the blue-green pendant shining in the morning sun. On her torso was a blue-green, single-sleeve t-shirt and an identical jacket to Anna's, only a darker blue. She wore a faded, black skirt with a chain hanging loosely on her hip. Her feet were adorned with black, knee-high Doc Martins and fishnet tights.

The blond Canadian at her side wore his long, blond hair half-up and wore his brother's dog-tags around his neck. He wore a 'Shawn Michaels' t-shirt and blue jeans, his feet adorned with his usual old sneakers.

Chris put his arm around April's shoulder and they began their walk towards the door, both grinning. As they approached, all activities stopped; Paul dropped his textbook to the ground; Amy and Jay dropped their phones and Adam and Trish dropped their hair-ties.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Chris and April?" Paul asked, standing to let April sit down beside Amy. He had never seen April wearing girlie clothes before and it scared him; usually she was decked out completely in punk clothes.

"Well," April said, sitting down beside Amy on the steps, Chris sitting on the step beside Jay, "When you guys left on Saturday, Chris came over to my house and we kind of got to know each other a little better."

"She even took me to the mall," Chris added, cheerful grin on his face. Trish gasped.

"You went shopping at the mall, without me OR Amy? You really have lost your cookies, Chrissy."

Chris poked his tongue out at her, taking hold of April's hand and kissing it. "And to top it all off, April will not be moving at the end of the month."

"YAY!" Adam and Amy yelled together, throwing their arms around April who blushed.

Chris grinned cheekily, his fingers entwined with April's. He felt so happy right now.

Loud thumping music echoed around the schoolyard, causing all happy thoughts to vanish. Chris looked up and saw a long black limo pull up on the curb, 3 girls sitting in the backseat. He swallowed back the lump in his throat and looked through the door, eyeing the blonde in the backseat with her friends.

"Maryse is back from winter break," Trish said bleakly as the door of the limo opened and Maryse stepped out, followed by a leggy blonde and a Latino girl. Each wore singlets and short shorts, oblivious to the freezing cold wind. "I wonder where the ice-bitch went this time."

"I was beginning to wonder when I'd meet the dumbest blonde in the school," April said, causing all her friends to laugh. She grinned along with them, looking at Maryse and her friends. Maryse was the obvious leader of the group, with the other blonde and the Latino girl as her little lackeys.

"If she sees me, I am beyond screwed," Chris whispered, slowly pushing himself up onto the next step. April watched as Maryse scanned the schoolyard, her black Prada purse in her hand. Chris tried to hide his smallish form behind April and Amy but he failed; Maryse's grin spread across her face and she walked straight over to them, her tanned legs stretching in front of her with every step.

"Crap," Chris muttered from behind April, his warm breathe tickling her neck. She giggled slightly and pulled her toned legs closer to her, resting her head on her knees. Chris always made her giggle, not meaning to of course, but he did just the same.

"Chrissy!" Maryse said as she came to a stop in front of the group, her blonde and brunette friends stopping behind her.

Paul took this opportunity to pick up his books. "I just remembered I have a history exam I have to study for."

"Me too!" added Jay, taking the hint. He picked up his bag and books and followed Paul into the building. Amy, Adam and Trish all shared a glance before bolting into the building before the storm erupted.

April watched them go then threw her gaze at Maryse and Chris who shared a very tense look. She rolled her eyes and bit her lip before standing to leave. Chris grabbed her hand and broke eye contact with Maryse, looking at his girlfriend with a pleading look. She rolled her eyes again and looked at her bag.

"Chris, don't we have a science test today?" she asked casually, remembering that they actually did and neither of them had studied for it.

Chris mouthed 'thank you' before standing. Maryse put her hand on his arm. He flinched before looking at her.

"Don't you want to hear about my vacation, honey?"

Chris swallowed back the lump before he heard a huff behind him. He turned and looked at April who was glaring at Maryse.

"Who're you calling honey?" she said, pushing past Chris. He stepped back slightly and blinked as his girlfriend and 'stalker' locked eyes. Maryse flipped her blond hair back and started speaking French. April caught a few words but half of it she couldn't make out. She rolled her eyes before clamping her hand over Maryse's mouth. "Speak English."

"I said, how dare you speak to me that way? And who the hell are you?"

April smirked smugly. "I thought you said that."

Intertwining her fingers with Chris', she grinned.

Maryse looked down at their hands and her mouth dropped open. Chris gulped, knowing she was about to explode. He had gone to school with Maryse for many years and _she_ thought that he was her boyfriend. Chris found this absolutely absurd but Maryse, in her own stubborn way, refused to believe otherwise. Seeing Chris holding April's hand was definitely going to make Maryse explode.

This was going to be interesting.

~X~

After her last class, Anna followed Scott all the way to the back of the school where Derek and his crew hung out. All of the outcasts were there, even Derek who had his arm wrapped around a brunette girl with black and red streaks. She didn't look happy at all but she perked right up when she saw Anna. Derek scowled, remembering the drop kick he had taken from Anna's black haired sister; it still hurt when he moved sometimes.

"What's she doing here?" he asked of Scott as the grunge boy sat down beside the girl. The blond shrugged.

"I invited her to hang out with us."

"Are you forgetting the stiletto heel you took to the side of the head last week?"

"No, but Anna was just protecting her brother."

"Oh, so now she's Anna. What happened to bitch?"

The girl sitting beside Scott stood up and walked over to Anna. She has a few inches shorter than the middle Calaway but that didn't seem to matter. She smiled all the same.

"Don't listen to Derek," she whispered. "He's a complete loser."

"I see that," Anna replied, her voice hushed. She looked over at Scott who was still arguing with Derek and smiled softly before turning and walking away. Scott didn't even notice.

The girl ran up beside Anna as she headed for the bleachers to meet up with Mickie James and Barbie Blank. Anna smiled at the young brunette girl beside her. She recognised her from somewhere. Her black and red streaks were pretty obvious. But it wasn't her hair that made Anna recognise her; it was her eyes. They were a piercing pastel green with a hint of silver lining.

"I'm Cassie. Cassie Bautista." The girl stuck out her hand. Anna took it and shook it warmly.

"Anna Calaway."

"Are you Gunner's sister?"

And there it was; every girl Anna and April had ever met usually fell head over heels in love with Gunner at first sight. It wasn't his fault he was cute; it was genetic. He'd gotten his father's reddy-brown hair and his mother's good looks. That added to the Calaway family charm and he was set for life.

"Yes, are you the girl who was following us home last Thursday after Derek went loony?"

Cassie flushed red. _Damn, she caught me._ She nodded. Anna giggled.

"Don't worry; I won't hold it against you."

Cassie seemed relieved by that. As the girls were about to turn and walk away, Scott ran up to them. He took Anna's arm and turned her so she faced him. Her breath was instantly taken away as she looked into his crystal blue eyes. God, he was so handsome it was uncanny, almost godlike.

"Don't leave, Anna," he said, pulling her closer to him. Cassie giggled at her side before running off in the direction of the mechanics shed.

Anna was about to reply when she heard her name called. She spun on her heel, almost knocking over Gunner as he came to a halt in front of her. His face was pink and his breathing laboured as he panted, clearing having run a fair distance.

"What's wrong, Gun?" She asked, patting her baby brother's shoulder.

"April's been in a fight," he panted, pointing towards the big oak doors of the school. Anna's eyes widened, not believing what her brother had said. April? In a fight? That had never happened before.

As quick as a flash, Anna and Gunner, followed closely by Scott, rushed off to find their sister.

~X~

Nurse Chrissy smiled slightly as she pulled a disposable ice-pack from the freezer and gave it to April. The black haired girl applied it to her nose as Chris sat beside her, rubbing her knuckles affectionately.

"Maryse throws a nice right hook," she said, grinning as pain rocketed from her nose. She groaned as Chris chuckled.

"I can't believe she broke your nose."

"You should see her." April grinned evilly, smirking as Chris raised an accusatory eyebrow.

April was about to laugh when the door opened to reveal her sister, her brother and Scott. Gunner was grinning, almost on the brink of laughing, Anna was glaring at her sister and Scott had a blank stare. The oldest Calaway's heart dropped into the pit of her stomach as she gulped, her confidence slowly slipping as Anna continued to glare. Anna could knock out a satellite tower with one of her deadly stares; it could make even the Deadman cower in fear.

"Hi, Anna," April said as confidently as she could. Needless to say, her voice cracked halfway through and Anna's glare only got deadlier. The black haired girl shuffled down the bed so she could hide behind Chris. Anna continued to glare.

"Why were you in a fight?" she growled, scaring both Gunner and Scott who took steps away from her. The muscle in her neck began to twitch; she had never been so mad at her sister in her life!

April poked her head out from behind Chris and smiled innocently.

"Maryse called me a redneck."

Anna's neck stopped twitching as she looked at her sister. She let out a defeated sigh and ran her fingers through her hair.

"But you are a redneck?" Scott said from Anna's side. He was about to say something else before he was promptly silenced by Anna whacking him in the stomach.

"Your point being?" April asked with a sarcastic raise of the eyebrow. Gunner laughed, as did Chris and Anna as Scott blushed.


	12. Wouldn't It Be Nice

Chapter Eleven: "Wouldn't It Be Nice…"

A.N: "Wouldn't It Be Nice" belongs rightfully to the Beach Boys. I own nothing.

Tuesday was a student-free day for the students of Venice Beach high-school and the Calaway triplets were at home, sitting in Gunner's room with candy canes in their mouths. April's lips had turned a funny green colour due to the peppermint candy cane in her mouth and she was giggling like crazy; candy canes made her hyper. Gunner was half-sitting, half-lying on his bed, his legs crossed as he sucked on his strawberry candy cane. Anna was sitting on his 'Ace of Spades' circle rug, her candy cane tucked between her lips as she sucked it.

The youngest Calaway girl flopped down onto her back and stared at the chipped ceiling of Gunner's room, her nose crinkling in thought.

"We should paint our rooms," she said suddenly, drawing her siblings' attention.

April thought about this for a second. "That's a good idea."

"Mine first!" Gunner shouted, his candy cane falling from his mouth. He picked it back up and stuffed it in his mouth, making loud crunching sounds as he finished it. He smiled cheekily. "Black and red!"

"As you wish," both girls said together. They got up from their seats and sauntered out the door, down the stairs and into the kitchen. Bret Hart, their babysitter for the week, sat in a stool with the newspaper in his hands. He barely looked up as they entered the room.

"Hey girls," he said, grinning as they headed for the door to the basement. They froze, turning at exactly the same time to look at Bret. He blinked. "You guys aren't going to make a mess, are you?"

Anna and April looked at each-other, their eyes blinking at the exact same moment. Bret almost choked as they nodded at the same time. How did they do that?

Anna was the first to speak. "We're gonna paint our rooms," she said, her voice a squeaky whisper. By the sounds of it, she hadn't been addressing the Hitman.

April looked at her sister then followed her gaze as Anna looked behind Bret. Scott Levy was standing there, his messy, blond curls tied back in a thick pony-tail. He wore ratty overalls and a black Megadeth t-shirt. Down his left cheek was a smear of grease.

Anna's breath caught in her chest as she looked him up and down. He actually didn't look bad. Sure he was grubby and dirty but it was a good look for him. And she liked it.

"What are you doing here?" April asked, her hand reaching for the door to the basement.

"I was at work fixing my motorcycle and I figured I'd come and visit my saviour," Scott replied, looking at Anna. She blushed, her cheeks flushing a dark red.

April smirked and grabbed her sister's arm, dragging her down into the basement. Scott followed, running his grease-covered hands through his hair.

As they reached the bottom, April flicked on the light and looked around, spying row after row of boxes stacked against the walls and underneath the stairs.

"This is gonna be fun," Anna said, her mouth curled slightly into a frown. Scott appeared beside her and breathed in deeply, coughing out dust as he exhaled.

"Oh joy," April mused sarcastically.

~X~

Gunner was sitting on his sheet-covered bed in the centre of the room when his sister's and Scott returned with cans of paint in their arms, paint brushes sitting on top. He smirked, taking a can of paint and brush from Anna as she set them on the floor.

"I put masking tape around the floors and covered everything with sheets and put them in the centre of the room," he said, grabbing a screwdriver and prying open the can of red paint.

"Good, now Dad won't kill us if we get paint on the floor," April said, putting her cans of paint on the ground. "I'll give the guys a call and see if they want to help. Paul and the Canadian idiots can help Gun while Chris and the girls help us, Anna." She looked at her sister who nodded. Scott raised his hand.

"What about me?"

April scoffed slightly. "You can help Anna or Gunner... whichever." And she left.

Scott turned to Anna.

"I don't think she likes me very much." Anna shrugged and handed him a paint brush.

"You can help me."

"Anna," Gunner said as he picked up a brush. She turned to him. "Can you give one of your friends a call to help me... specifically a girl."

Anna rolled her eyes and smiled, nodding her head before leaving the room to prepare her blank and dull room for its extreme make-over.

~X~

As April started to paint her room, a hand covered her eyes and someone's warm breathe tickled her neck. She giggled, turning to face Chris as he kissed her, long and sweet. She loved it when he surprised her. He always seemed to show up at the weirdest moments and scare the living daylights out of her but she loved it just the same.

"Hey, Beautiful," he cooed, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. She flushed red and handed him a paintbrush.

"We're painting my room," she said, dipping her brush into a tin of pastel blue paint. She pointed at the wall as the paint dripped from the brush and onto the newspaper on the floor.

Across the bottom half of the wall, masking tape was criss-crossed in a checker-like pattern with only smalls squares of plain, white wall showing. The top half was completely bare except two rows of masking tape guarding the bottom half from the paint.

"Checkers?" Chris asked, dipping his paint brush into a tin of black paint. April nodded, flinging splotches of paint onto his overalls. He grinned cheekily, taking his paintbrush and swiping it down her nose. She squeaked, stepping back slightly and falling onto her backside. Chris smiled cheekily and pulled her to her feet, intertwining his fingers with hers. She felt a pulse of heat run up her arm and she giggled.

"If you don't want to be serious you can go and paint the door," she said, grinning. Chris raised an eyebrow and smiled, reaching behind her. She stared at him for a second until he retracted his arm and pulled a roll of masking tape from the bookshelf behind her.

"I'll make you something then," he said, heading for the door. She watched him shut it and bent down and started sticking tape on it.

What on Earth was he up to?

~X~

Anna and Scott were in Anna's room, sitting on her bed, trying to figure out what colours to paint her room, and if they should paint a design on the wall.

"Pastel pink would look good," Anna suggested, looking at the tin of paint. Scott gave her a thoughtful look.

"Pink?"

"Yeah, it's the colour of my logo. Well, that and white." Anna pulled her 'Bunny-Boo' pillow onto her lap and showed it to him. It was fluoro pink with a pastel pink circle on it with a fluffy-tailed bunny in the middle.

"Cute," he muttered sarcastically, grinning as she frowned at him.

"Say that again and I'll pour pink paint all over you."

"Cute," he repeated in the same tone, quirky grin on his face. This promptly provoked Anna to stand, pry the thin lid from the tin and pour its contents on top of Scott's head. The pinkness trickled down his blond hair, down his face and onto his shirt as he stood up.

"Next time," he said, quickly grabbing her shoulders and pulling her towards him, "use purple. It goes better with my eyes." And he thrust his lips onto hers.

It took her a minute for her to realise he was kissing her and when she did, she tried to pull away. But her eyes closed before she could stop them and she saw fireworks explode behind her eyelids. It was the most amazing thing she had ever experienced. She let her mouth slip open and allowed Scott's tongue to enter, dancing with hers in a duel of saliva and romance.

It took a moment but they soon separated. Anna's breath caught in her throat and she stared into the eyes of Scott, drowning in their light blue depths. Scott stared for a second, biting his bottom lip. God, he hoped she didn't care that he did that.

A loud wolf whistle sounded and both Anna and Scott turned, staring at the door. April and Chris leant against the door frame, both smirking. Chris had the larger smirk, as if he found something funny. April's smirk was slightly more evil, like she was ready to kill Scott. Anna glared and the two of them left, singing 'ANNA AND SCOTT SITTING IN A TREE!' while they went. Anna closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Your sister scares me," Scott commented, looking at Anna. She looked up at him and her heart melted. He had the cutest smile on his face, and it made his features light up.

Then the strangest thing happened.

_"__Wouldn't it be nice if we were older  
Then we wouldn't have to wait so long  
And wouldn't it be nice to live together  
In the kind of world where we belong_

You know its gonna make it that much better  
When we can say goodnight and stay together

Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up  
In the morning when the day is new  
And after having spent the day together  
Hold each other close the whole night through

The happy times together we've been spending  
I wish that every kiss was never ending  
Oh Wouldn't it be nice"

Anna snickered, hearing Gunner's off-key singing. Clearly he was trying too hard to impress Cassie, the only person who wanted to help Gunner today as Paul, Jay, Adam, Trish and Amy were busy.

She grinned. Her brother was definitely a lady's man.


	13. Parties and Mistakes

Chapter Twelve: Parties and Mistakes

A.N: For those of you who can't read above a fifth grade level –coughSpikecough-, an Oxymoron is a term used when two contradictory words are used in the same sentence. For example: (and I say this without any conviction or worry about my safety) John Cena has to be the most **excitingly dull** superstar I have ever known. Hehe. –hides-

As March rolled around, so did Mark's thirty-sixth birthday. April, Anna and Gunner were to accompany their father to the mammoth Calaway estate in Austin, Texas for his birthday party. Their Grandmother always threw her sons a big family party every year as they had all moved out of Texas and barely saw each other. Each of them was in a different part of the country, but they always came together for birthdays. Always.

April was in her room the night they were to leave, unpacking her last remaining boxes while packing her duffle bag in the process with The Cranberries' "Zombie" playing in the background. There was only one box left and it had all of her trophies in them. She opened the box and pulled her gold Gymnastics medal from it, looking at the shiny plate. On it read, "Under Fives World Gymnastics Championship." It swung around in a circle as it tried to untangle itself from its pale blue strap.

She was just putting it away when Chris entered the room, large smile on his face.

"Hey, Angel," he greeted, wrapping his arms around her waist. She smiled and kissed him on the cheek as he rested his head on her shoulder. "What's doing?"

"Packing and unpacking," she replied, putting her hands over his as they clasped around her waist. He looked at her with a quizzical expression, slightly confused.

"Is that some bizarre oxymoron I should know about?"

She giggled, knowing he had learnt that word from her. Oxymorons were her specialty, as she lived with three living, breathing contradictory terms.

She turned in his arms and wrapped hers around his neck, practically strangling him.

"I'm glad I have an effect on you," she breathed, kissing his forehead. He smiled as she continued. "I'm packing because me, Anna and the dickhead-" referring to Gunner of course, "-are going to be on a plane in about 4 hours, heading to Austin. We're spending the weekend at our grandmother's because it's Daddy's birthday on Saturday."

Chris's mouth had dropped open; not because he was surprised by what she had said, but because she had said it all in one breath and at the speed that no normal human could possibly comprehend. Luckily Chris spoke April.

"And you will be back when?"

"Monday afternoon. Yay, no school!" She giggled, seeing his accusatory glare.

"And no spending time with me," he said with a pout. He let go of her and crossed his tanned arms over his chest, dropping his bottom lip in a cute pout. April half-smirked and flicked him in the shoulder before turning and stuffing a 'Megadeth' t-shirt into her duffle bag and zipping it up.

"You're invited to come along if you like."

Both April and Chris turned to see Mark in the doorway, leaning on the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest. He smirked at Chris and winked at April, handing the blond Canadian a plane ticket.

"Can't have my girl all grouchy on my birthday, can I?"

April cheered. "You are the most awesome Daddy ever!" She hugged her father around the waist. He simply shrugged.

"I can be when I wanna be." And with that, he left, shutting the door behind him. April smiled at the chibi reaper Chris had painted on the back of her door. It was grinning back at her, its scythe dripping with blood.

"I'll have to tell my mom," the Canadian informed her with a smirk. She turned back to look at him and smiled, handing him the cordless phone that she had in her room.

Chris half-smirked and dialled his number.

April sat on her bed and watched him pace her room with the phone to his ear, his bottom lip being chewed off. Why was he so nervous?

"Hey, DJ, It's Chris," he said once the phone was picked up on the other end. He waited for his big brother's reply. "No, man, I'm at my girlfriend's. Put mom on, I gotta ask her something." Chris waited again for his brother to hand the phone to his mother before talking again. "Mom, its Chris. I'm at April's. Her Dad just said I was invited to go with them to Texas for the weekend. I won't be back until Monday. Love you, bye," he said this as fast as he could then hung up.

April raised a questioning eyebrow.

"What was that all about?"

"My Mom hates me, so I tell her what I'm doing, not ask. I get away with a lot more shit then."

"Nice. Why does she hate you?" April asked, pulling Chris onto the bed beside her. He sat beside her and rested his hand on her thigh.

"Ever since Dad left, she's gotten herself addicted to Alcohol and cocaine. It's not good," he said, his voice low. Clearly, his mother was a sensitive topic, just like hers.

April wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her cheek against his shoulder, just holding him. It's all she could do without saying anything that could make it worse.

~X~

"So I tell him that I like him and he just… ignores me."

April rubbed her sister's shoulder as the two girls, their Dad, Gunner and Chris sat on the plane bound for Austin. The younger Calaway curled her legs up onto the chair and held her knees, resting her chin on top of them. April rubbed her hand over her sister's head, her head resting on her shoulder. Without saying a word, Anna hugged her sister and they just sat there, all sisterly.

Chris looked over from his seat between Gunner and Mark and saw his girlfriend and her sister comforting each other. Sometimes he wished his brother would actually act like a big brother. DJ, which was short for Damien James, was more focussed on graduating college on his basketball scholarship then he was about anything else, but he did care when he was throwing parties; he always invited Chris, even though he was too young to drink, but the younger Irvine always thought it was because DJ needed more party quests.

"Flight 107 to Austin will be arriving in 3 minutes, please fasten your seatbelts," The captains voice sounded from the cockpit. Chris tugged at his seatbelt and clicked it into place just as April reached for his hand.

"My grandmother is kind of temperamental about having a boyfriend at fifteen so try not to be overly boyfriend-y," she said, stroking his knuckles. The blond, Canadian smirked.

"You're grandmother is gonna love me, I guarantee it."

~X~

The pathway leading to the Calaway manor in Austin was lined with fairy lights and ribbons and this made Mark cringe. His mother always went overboard on birthday decorations; it made him feel like he was in third grade again, only it was overblown times a thousand.

Anna and April didn't seem to mind as their arms were intertwined and they waltzed down the path like it was a catwalk. Gunner was behind them, playing his Game boy. Chris was behind him, looking apprehensively up at the huge Calaway house that used to house all five Calaway boys, their parents and 3 large breed dogs.

"Don't be intimidated, Chris," Mark cooed, grinning as Chris paled. "My Dad owned a funeral business before he died." He gestured towards the house. "This is what he left my mom and our family."

"It's huge. I think I might get lost," Chris said quietly, stuffing his hands inside his jacket's pockets. Mark laughed, clapping a hand on the young boys shoulder.

"Wouldn't be the first time," he teased before shrinking into himself at the sound of his mother's high-pitched greeting.

"GRANDMA!" The twins said together, throwing their arms around Grandma Calaway's neck and hugging her in their tightest embrace.

"My, you girls have gotten so big!" the sixty-seven year old woman said, hugging her granddaughter's back.

"Hi, Grandma," Gunner said, putting his game-boy into his pocket, hugging his grandmother awkwardly with one arm while the other remained in his pocket.

"You look more like your father every day, Gun," she said, wrapping an arm around Gunner's waist as he joined his sister's on the porch.

Mark began to laugh as his 5"11 mother looked up at him. All of Mark's brother's had inherited their father's height over their mother's and to her that was a bad thing. To them, it was quite the opposite. They enjoyed towering over people.

"Stop growing, Markus," she said, playfully glaring up at her son.

"I stopped growing after the three misfits were born," he replied, grinning. "Hi, mom."

"Hello," she said and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Chris bit his lower lip and attempted to sneak past the reconciling mother and son but Mark clapped a hand on his shoulder and stopped him. The blond turned and looked at Mark, shrinking back slightly. April and Anna giggled from the porch swing, their arms still linked as they looked on; Chris looked very frightened about meeting their grandmother and all four of their uncles and all of their cousins.

"Mom, this is Chris," Mark said, gripping Chris's shoulder tightly, digging his fingers into his skin. Chris flinched slightly. Grandma Calaway smiled sweetly and it reminded him of his own grandmother's smile; sugary and sweet.

"Which one of my beautiful granddaughter's managed to snag you?" she asked, much to April and Anna's amusement. They both burst into fits of laughter, holding their sides as they began to split from the effort.

Chris gulped, which only made Mark laugh. The young blond was shivering in his boots at the thought of getting his head bitten off by this woman. It was very amusing.

"A-a-April," he stuttered, clearly nervous. Though he was taller than her by a few inches, she really did scare the crap out of him; maybe it was because she had spawned 'The Undertaker'.

Grandma Calaway simply smiled and ruffled his shoulder length blond hair.

"I knew she'd get someone blond."

This only made everyone, except Chris, burst into fits of laughter.

~X~

As the sun sank below the horizon and the moon began to rise, April, Anna and Gunner stood waiting on the porch for their father to show up. Chris was sitting on the porch swing, looking slightly out of place in his cowboy hat and boots. He had opted to wear his blue pressed shirt and jeans with his sneakers, but as they were going to a sort of hoedown, had been forced into dressing the part.

April turned her head and looked at her boyfriend as he pulled at the stitching of his boots. She looked out of place too, but she had grown up wearing these sorts of clothes. She wore a pastel blue pressed shirt, the first three buttons gone so she showed some cleavage, stone-wash black jeans and her black cowboy boots. Her hair was tied back in a loose pony-tail that was slightly curled and on her head was a black and light blue cowboy hat. Anna wore the same except her shirt was pastel pink and her hat was white and pink. Her shiny red hair was in two plaits that hung down to her shoulders. Gunner, being the oddball of the family, wore his black and green flannelette shirt over a 'Megadeth' t-shirt and baggy jeans with his sneakers.

Mark and Grandma Calaway exited the house, both looking completely opposite. Grandma Calaway wore a light blue v-neck shirt, her cowboy boots poking out from beneath the blue denim of her skirt. On her head was a light blue cowboy hat with a flower on it. Mark wore his biker bandana underneath his backwards 'Metallica' cap and he wore a black pressed shirt over his black jeans that were tucked into his motorcycle boots.

April's jaw dropped and Anna cupped her mouth, stifling her giggles. Gunner blinked and raised an eyebrow at his father while Chris snickered.

"What?" Mark questioned, shrugging his shoulders. "I can't dress like I normally do on my birthday?"

"NO!" April and Anna said together, but they grinned and bounded down the path and towards the barn where Mark's party was to be held. Gunner bowed slightly and made a hook with his arm, gesturing for his grandmother to take it.

"I love how my girlfriend ditches me," Chris seethed as he followed the Calaway's down the path.

~X~

It was around midnight when April and Chris left the barn to get some fresh air. Chris's hair had fallen out of its pony-tail and he was running his fingers through it as April jumped onto the fence that separated the barn from a large paddock. She sat on top of it as Chris climbed onto the wooden planks so he was about her height. He crossed his arms in front of him and took her hand in his, glad he had a girlfriend like April to actually hold hands with.

He had once tried dating one of the cheerleaders, Eve Torres, but that hadn't turned out quite the way he hoped so he had stopped dating all together. That was relatively hard because all of his friends, except Paul at the time, had girlfriends or boyfriends. Trish had Adam and Amy had Jay, so he felt a little left out. That was until April came along.

At first he hadn't liked her at all, because she seemed like a preppy school-girl, and that's something he did not want to date at all. But she had turned out completely different. Yeah, she was brainy, brainier then anyone in their group except for maybe Paul, but she was rebellious and fun too. That was always a good combo.

"April," Chris said, stroking her knuckles. She looked at him. "I'm slowly falling for you."

April smiled, feeling butterflies in her stomach.

"Me too," she said, jumping from the fence and onto the ground. Chris stepped down beside her and cupped her cheek, smiling as she nuzzled into his soft skin.

Before she knew it, their lips were touching and moving in a passionate kiss. She opened her lips slightly to let his probing tongue in and the kiss deepened. She truly did love his kisses; they tasted like coconut.

Both of them knew that they would both be making choices that night, whether they were good or bad was debateable, but were there none-the-less.


	14. Surprise Visits

Chapter Thirteen: Surprise Visits

Anna, having stowed away from the party to be alone, climbed the steps that led to hers and Gunner's old tree house. Many games of 'Pirates' and 'Doctor' had been played up here, and because April was busy with her gymnastics, it had just been the two of them. It was relatively quiet up there, and the middle Calaway let out a relieved sigh; the quiet would help her think.

She stopped when she reached the third rung of the ladder, her shoulders and head showing just a tiny bit. She tilted her head; leaning on the large open window was a dark figure, the moonlight shining on his platinum blond locks.

Anna could only think of one person she knew with platinum hair. "Scott?" She blurted, not meaning for it to come out. The figure turned and smiled down at Anna. It was Scott alright. His shiny blond hair was flopping over his face and he wore his black leather jacket, his 'Pearl Jam' t-shirt and his dark cut off jeans. Her breath was taken away by how he could make looking very outcasty look so hot.

"Hey, Anna," he said as she hoisted herself into the tree house.

"How did you-"

"Your Dad gave me a plane ticket yesterday afternoon." He stepped over to her and helped her the rest of the way into the tree house. She smiled and jumped into his arms. She was so happy that he was here, now she didn't have to go to sleep alone again.

"That's awesome!" Anna cried, wrapping her arms tightly around him, feeling his nose against her shoulder.

"So it's okay that I'm here?" Scott asked quietly, patting her head. She nodded and beamed.

"I'm so happy you're here!"

Scott smiled and hugged her back.

~X~

After the party and after everyone had gone to sleep, Mark stepped out onto the balcony protruding from his room, looking out over the ranch. The stars shone bright in the sky and the moon left an ominous glow over the large estate. Everything was perfect.

"Mark?"

Mark turned, spying his mother in the doorway. He smiled as she came up beside him, patting his shoulder.

"You didn't seem like yourself at the party," she said, running a finger through her thinning grey hair. He smiled, shaking his head.

"I always thought Jodi was going to be here with me."

His mother rolled her eyes. "You say that every year, my son."

"I know. I miss her a lot though," Mark said with a sigh, leaning forward onto the railing, crossing his arms as he watched Anna and Scott standing on the balcony of the tree house. He beckoned his mother over and she stepped beside him. He pointed at his daughter. "She is more like Jodi then April is, but don't tell April I said that."

"How do you mean?"

Mark smirked. "April's impulsive and rebellious, like me and Gunner while Anna is level-headed and loyal. She's too much like her mother for her own good."

Mrs Calaway smirked. "What about Abigail, Markus?"

Mark felt his heart drop. Abigail was the oldest of his children but she had been a stillborn so his other children didn't even know who she was. April had found a picture of all six of them when Jodi had first had the quadruplets and had asked him about the other girl but Mark had ignored her and after a few hours of her nagging, she had shut up about it and he'd burned the picture and any other pictures of Abbi. She hadn't asked since.

He looked at his mother. "To the girls and Gun, Abbi doesn't exist." He looked away, back at Anna as she was led back into the tree house by the hand. He lowered his gaze to Chris who had a giggling April in his arms, bridal style. Then he looked over at the barn where Gunner was busy entertaining people with his mad guitar skills. His three amazing children didn't know about their big sister, Abbi, nor would they. Mark would take that secret to his grave.

Mark looked back at his mother and smiled a sad smile and clapped one of his mammoth hands on his mother's shoulder before taking her hand and kissing her fingers. "Nor does she to me." And he went back inside to sulk.


	15. Aftermath

Chapter Fourteen: Aftermath

A.N: Aftermath belongs rightfully to Adam Lambert and is from the album For Your Entertainment. I own nothing. Oh and P.S, it gets dark from here on out

Upon returning to Venice Beach, April, Anna and Gunner were quite happy. Each of them had had a momentous weekend; Chris and April had shared a beautiful night of passion, Anna and Scott had agreed to date and Gunner had been cheered for his guitar skills. All in all, a perfect weekend.

April returned to school on Tuesday morning feeling a little sick. She'd asked Davey Boy Smith, their current babysitter, if she could stay home but he'd shook his head and said no, she was to go to school and learn like her father wanted so she'd obliged before leaving for school with her siblings. First three periods were free for the oldest, _living_ Calaway girl so she spent most of it in the garage, tuning up her baby.

Before the bell went for lunch, she was joined by none other than Adam and Jay, the only known non-biological twins that were joined at the hip.

April looked up from under her bike and giggled, shaking her head before wiggling out from under it and sitting up.

"How are my two favourite Canadians?" She asked jokingly, throwing the socket wrench she'd been holding into the tool box. Jay snickered and looked away; April was covered from head to toe in grease.

"We heard a little rumour about you and master Irvine," Adam said with a wink and April groaned; Chris had blabbed. The evil blond had blabbed about their highly romantic night of ungodly sex. She'd kill him for that.

"And what might that be?"

"Let's just say," the boys said together and April blinked at their insyncness, "Master Christopher is currently on the football field with Paul and our girlfriends, babbling on about you and him…"

Adam looked at Jay and Jay looked at Adam before they returned their gaze to April and said while trying not to laugh: "fucking like bunnies!"

April groaned and fell back against the ground, putting her hands over her forehead. Then she placed her hands firmly on the ground beside her head and flipped up like Shawn. Jay and Adam stared but she stormed past them, slipping on her 'Angel' jacket and pushing the huge wooden doors open.

April found Chris exactly where the Suicide Blondes (Jay and Chris aimed to be professional wrestlers and that was the name they panned on using for their tag team) had said; on the oval with Paul. Amy and Trish were sitting in the stands, braiding each other's hair. April climbed over the chain link fence that separated the oval from the bleachers and tackled her boyfriend to the ground, straddling his hips and holding him down by his shoulders.

Chris blinked up at April as Paul laughed, throwing the ball in the air. The blond stared up at his girlfriend before smirking evilly.

"If I'd have known you wanted to ride me so much I would have pulled you into the bike shed behind the cafeteria."

April tried to keep her face in 'mad' but she cracked and let out a cute little giggle, climbing off her boyfriend.

"Why'd you go blabbing to everyone about what we did?"

Paul answered for his blond friend.

"He's a guy. It's what he does."

Chris glared at Paul and threw a ball of grass at him. "Bet you go blabbing about Joanie and you."

Paul snorted and shook his head, flinging the football at him.

"You wish, Irvine."

April smacked her boyfriend on the chest before sitting on him again. "You focus on me now. Why'd you blab?"

Chris shrugged and April glared at him.

"I have no idea. First thing that came outta my mouth this morning was; guess what I did, and Adam and Jay said 'SLEPT WITH APRIL!' at the same time."

April scowled and looked over at the bleachers where Trish and Amy were watching the scene unfold, sitting on their respective boyfriend's knees.

Damn Canadians.

~X~

Anna woke up under her big fluffy dooner, completely comfortable. She hadn't fallen asleep until about four in the morning and she had slept pretty much all day. Anna liked to sleep, but she didn't sleep all that long because her inner clock always got her up at exactly 5:30 no matter what time she went to bed. To her that was a good thing but it pissed her siblings off to no end on weekends because they liked to sleep in.

The door opened and Anna poked her head out from under her pink and white blanket to find Davey in the doorway, smirking at her.

"Good afternoon," he said in his thick British accent. Anna giggled and hugged her Bunny-boo pillow close to her chest.

"Hiya," she replied with a yawn. Davey chuckled.

"Someone slept in."

"I missed school," Anna said happily and slipped back under the covers.

"You've got a visitor."

Anna instantly sat up as Scott entered the room, his long boofy hair tied back in a pony-tail. Today he looked devilishly charming in his black stone-wash jeans (not cut off at the knees for a change) and Alice Cooper t-shirt. His black leather jacket was tied around his waist and his sneakers looked scuffed and worn out. She giggled and bit her lip as a smug smile crossed his face, making his features glow. He truly was amazing.

"Shouldn't you be at school?" Anna asked as her boyfriend sat down on the end of her bed and tucked a blond strand of hair behind his ear.

"What's school gonna teach me other than the entire world hates me?" Scott said with a quirky grin. "Minus you, of course."

Anna giggled as he pulled her in for a quick kiss, licking at her bottom lip. This action sent a shiver down her spine and she giggled and pulled away, smiling. Scott smiled back.

"Sorry," he said but she shook her head.

"It's okay. Some bastard just knows how to pull at my heartstrings after barely two months of knowing me."

"Sorry, my bastard."

Anna giggled before gasping in shock when Scott flipped some of his thick, blond hair back. A large purple bruise lined under his eye and it was dark and blotchy. Anna's hand flew to her mouth and she stared in shock.

Scott instantly knew what had happened and he covered his bruises again.

"What happened?"

"Not important."

"Scott, tell me, what the hell happened."

It took a moment but Scott eventually spilled his guts; his father, the drunken idiot who had forced him onto cocaine, was back in town and he was pissed. Grace and Ms Levy got out of the house safely but Mr Levy's fists had been flying. He'd nailed his only son twice in the face and Scott had only just woken up after being unconscious for five and half hours, which is why he'd missed practically all day of school.

Anna couldn't say anything once he'd finished and all she could do was hug him tightly around the neck, burying her face deep into his shoulder.

~X~

Gunner had the whole morning off so he'd spent most of it down at the beach, skipping smooth stones against the roaring waves. It was starting to heat up a fair bit on the West Coast but Gunner still found it necessary to wear a black hoody with baggy black jeans and sneakers. The beach was devoid of any human life except for those few young adults who were holding hands and walking along the beach.

Gunner sat down in the sand and drew a little flower with his finger, scribbling it out one petal at a time. God, he was so lonely right now. April was at school, hanging out with her clique, Chris, Adam, Jay, Trish Amy and Paul, and Anna had Scott at home so it was kind of awkward for him to be home right now.

"Hey stranger," said a voice from behind and Gunner jerked around, spying Ashley Massaro standing behind him in a tan halter top, black jeans and flip flops.

"Ashley!" He jumped to his feet and hugged her tightly, feeling her hug back. God, he hadn't seen Ashley since the Calaway's had moved from Miami to Phoenix in December.

"How's my baby brother doing?" She asked and pat him on the head.

Gunner shrugged and pointed to her hair.

"You changed your hair."

Ashley ran a hand through her hair and giggled. She'd been a chocolate brown-haired minx when they'd left and now she was platinum blonde with hot pink and black streaks running down her fringe.

"Long story. But Cool-Cat is a red-head now."

"Holy shit. You guys have changed."

"Not that much. Where're April and Anna at?"

Gunner sighed and sat back down in the sand. Ashley did the same.

They spent the rest of the afternoon chatting and talking about old times. It was good to reconnect with old friends, even if Ashley and Gunner had shared that one awkward kiss on Christmas Eve when she and Maria had come to Phoenix to visit. Maria, April and Anna had tormented him over it for days afterwards but then the news of the move had stopped all taunting and resumed the usual thing; packing. Leaving was always a bitch but leaving the other half of the Bratz and two honorary Calaways behind hurt like hell.

Gunner's cell phone buzzed in his pocket so, mid conversation, he pulled it from the confines of his hoody and answered.

"Yello?"

"Oi jerk-face, get your butt home. You'll never guess whose here." April seemed very excited about something.

"Does she have shiny red hair and answer to Cool-Cat?" Gunner said in response and there was a long pause.

"How did you know that?"

"Wild guess. I'll be home soon."

Before April could say anything, he hung up and flipped to his feet. Ashley giggled as he helped her and they walked back up the pier, chatting about random things that had happened to them.

~X~

When Gunner and Ashley returned home, April and Anna's eyes dropped to the floor and the blonde was instantly hugged to death. Maria, who was sitting by the fire with the usual smile attached to her mouth, giggled as Gunner sat beside her and hugged her by the shoulders. He was always happy to see Maria and Ashley because, back in Miami, they had both loved him to death and wanted to include him in everything the Bratz did, including shopping, which he (most of the time) respectfully declined.

"OH MY GOD!" April shrieked before she blinked hazily and ran from the room. Ashley raised a curious eyebrow and Anna giggled lightly.

"April's got a bug."

Ashley smiled and ran a finger through Anna's red hair.

"We're not the only hair changers then." She winked and Anna giggled again. She rubbed at her tired eyes and flopped down onto a lazy boy while Ashley flopped down onto the sofa, flipping her blonde hair from her eyes.

For the rest of the evening, minus the few times April ran from the room to barf, the five friends sat in the living room, eating popcorn and nachos, talking it up like they used to do before the Calaways left Miami. It felt good to reconnect.

But life in the Calaway manor was going to change in a drastic way.


	16. Surprises

Chapter Fifteen: Surprises.

As the months past, April and Chris's relationship became more strained and they barely spent any time with each other. And it didn't help that when she did try to call, he was busy. Not to mention her bug or whatever it was had gotten worse and she was sick every day. She couldn't explain it but because she had a fear of doctors, she wouldn't go and see for herself.

Anna and Scott's relationship had gotten more serious. Anna had turned herself into the female clone of Scott with the cut off shorts, leather jackets and t-shirts while still maintaining her status as goody-goody. She'd been grounded for close to three weeks when her father, being the protective father he was, went sniffing around her room for elicit substances that could help him tear Scott and Anna's relationship apart. He'd found a baggy of cocaine and a stash of marijuana in her desk draw.

Gunner, being the reject of the family, had maintained his status as outcast when he started rapping again, much to his father's distain. Mark knew better than most that most rappers got their asses kicked in street fights and he didn't want his son to be dragged into that crowd, but Gunner was ever stubborn. He rapped under alias after alias to hide his doings from his father and it'd worked, for the most part. April and Anna both knew that gunner had broken his promise never to publicly rap again and he was gonna pay big time for it.

It was now closing in on June and April had gained a little bit of weight. And it all centred around her stomach, which was a tad scary. Anna and Gunner were worried about her; she didn't eat, she woke up at odd hours to use the bathroom, and she spent most of her morning vomiting in the sink or toilet. So finally, Anna stepped up to the plate.

"You need to see a doctor," she said one morning at breakfast.

April raised her head from staring at her piece of toast and blinked tiredly at her sister.

"I'm fine, really. It's just a bug."

"I agree with your sister, Angel," Mark said, sitting at the end of the table with his breakfast. Gunner was still fast asleep. Anna scrunched her mouth and pulled at a messy braid in her hair, looking at April.

"It's more than just a bug, Angel. Something is seriously wrong. You've been sick for months, you've gained weight- which you never used to be able to do- you get up at stupid hours and you don't eat at all. Either you're pregnant or something is seriously wrong."

The blood drained from Mark's face but his children didn't seem to notice. That was something no parent wanted to hear on a Saturday morning over breakfast. He now didn't feel so hungry.

Pushing his plate away, Mark stood and both of his daughters looked at him. He looked at them, his face in neutral.

"April, you will go to the doctors and find out what's wrong."

"But-" April began to protest but Mark held up a hand. She stopped instantly; nobody back talked to the Undertaker, everyone knew that.

"Anna, you will go with me to the mall. There's something you and I need to talk about."

Anna shrugged and started eating her cereal. "Kay."

Mark scowled and picked up his plate before returning to the kitchen. On the wall near the stove was the intercom that had a link to every room in the house. He pushed a fluoro green button and waited for the beep before yelling;

"GUNNER HARLEY CALAWAY! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!"

There was a pause before Gunner yelled back in his most sarcastic tone; "SIR, YES SIR"

Mark glared at the com box before removing his finger and slamming his head repeatedly against the fridge; His family was falling apart at the seams, and it was all because of the move to Venice Beach.

Next to Las Vegas, Los Angeles really was Sin City.

~X~

In downtown Venice Beach, Mark and Anna were shopping. Mark had yet to mention what he needed to talk to the middle Calaway about and she was fine with that; the less talking with her father, the more she could focus on her burrito.

As she took a bite out of her Mexican wrap, Mark stopped and turned to look at her. Anna stopped mid-bite and looked at him. The look on his face said he was mad about something.

"What?" She asked, lowering her wrap. Mark smirked.

"I'm worried about you. Can't a father be worried about his youngest daughter?" he said casually, putting an onion ring in his mouth. Anna stared at him like he'd gone mad.

"There's nothing wrong with me, Dad. It's April you should be worried about."

"Oh I am," Mark smiled and scratched his back against a post, "But she isn't smoking marijuana and snorting crack, is she?"

Anna rolled her eyes and threw her burrito in the bin, walking off towards the pier. "Suddenly not so hungry."

Mark dashed after her and grabbed her by the wrist.

"Why, Bunny-Boo? Why did you have to do drugs? You're only fifteen."

"Because you were never around to stop me."

That silenced Mark and his grip loosened and Anna made a mad dash for the beach.

Now he really knew how much his travelling had affected his children. They'd grown up without a father as he'd been on the road a lot and barely at home. Sure, he had to earn money to keep a roof over their heads and they knew that… but now he wasn't so sure he wanted to be on the road all the time. If it kept him away from his family and shit like this was going to happen, he would stay home when he didn't have to be somewhere.

~X~

April sat in the doctor's office with Gun by her side, her legs swinging back and forth in an impatient movement. She hated hospitals; they made her jumpy because she'd lost her mother in one of these god forsaken places. Gun was just with her to keep her from biting the doctor's head off if she had bad news.

Dr Carmichael came into the room with a solemn expression on her face and April's stomach dropped.

"Miss Calaway, how old are you?"

"Almost sixteen, why?"

Dr Carmichael, though a Negro woman herself, paled as she looked at April's test results. They obviously weren't good.

Gun saw the worry on his sister's face, and on the face of the doctor and he almost pictured was about to come; April was either dying of something or she was just really sick. He didn't want it to be the former of which.

Dr Carmichael sat on her chair and swivelled to face the twins. She blinked and looked at April who stared at her.

"Have you ever had sexual intercourse before, April?"

"No!" Gun said for her but Dr Carmichael held up a hand to silence him. Gun looked at April and his stomach dropped as she face changed from agitated to concerned.

"Yes. Once, about two months ago. Why?"

"Were you safe?"

April shrugged. "I don't know. I wasn't thinking straight."

"Well you mustn't have been very careful because you're pregnant."

There was a pin drop silence in the room and Gun's eyes widened. April stared at her doctor before dropping her head into her hands and crying.

This is not how she wanted to begin her first summer in LA.


	17. The Painful Discovery

Chapter Sixteen: The Painful Discovery

A.N: Like I said, it's getting dark.

It was late afternoon when Gunner and April returned home. The house was dark, quiet. The only sound that could be heard from Metallica's _Die, Die Darling _blaring from Anna's room. April hadn't said a word on the walk home and she was even more silent upon entering the living room. Gunner helped his shocked sister onto the couch.

"Do you want anything? Juice, soda-"

"Water," April croaked and Gunner dashed from the room to grab it.

The minutes ticked by and Anna wandered downstairs, stopping when she saw how pale her sister was. She walked over and sat beside April, lacing her fingers with hers and just smiling when April's head dropped onto her baby sister's shoulder.

Gunner chose that moment to walk in with April's water and sit on the floor in front of them, handing her the glass.

"Here," he said as she took it.

"Thanks."

As April sipped quietly at her drink, Anna looked at Gun, as if willing him to explain.

"I think April should be the one to explain, Bunny-Boo."

Anna looked at April and the oldest Calaway slowly stood. She took a few steps around the coffee table and into the centre of the room before looking at her siblings.

"Dad's not home is he?"

"He had to catch a flight into Manhattan for some charity ball thing. What's wrong?" Anna asked but April shushed her.

"What I have to say must never ever leave this room. Dad is not to find out."

~X~

Monday rolled around and the Calaway's stepped out of the long white limo into the blinding sunshine. LA was always sunny, even in winter when it should have snowed and Venice Beach was no exception. Venice Beach high was decked with blossoming willow trees and the flowers in the garden were in full bloom. Both students and teachers alike roamed the front yard and April found her friends sitting on the front steps, minus Adam, Chris and Paul.

Anna knew exactly where she could find Scott and her friends and Gunner knew where he could find Cassie, Derek's girlfriend. So the youngest Calaway's ventured off together towards the back of the school.

April sat down beside Amy and Jay and hugged her legs. Trish, being ever so caring, pat her on the shoulder and moved closer to her.

"Angel, what's wrong, honey?" she asked, putting an arm around her. Amy and Jay patiently awaited her reply.

April shook her head and got up, going in through the big double doors.

When she found her locker, she realised she wasn't alone. Adam was across the hall at his locker, burning things. April found this odd so she wandered over and cupped a hand onto his shoulder. He jumped and turned his head to look at her and she eyes instantly grew narrow with concern.

Adam's eyes were blotchy and dark and he was crying. Adam never cried. He and the other boys in their group were the shoulders to cry on, not the other way around. What the hell had happened?

"What happened, baby?" she asked casually, ignoring the fact that his eyes grew cloudy when she called him baby.

"Trish… she… she…" he sniffed and started hitting his head against his locker door. April cupped his forehead and stopped him from killing anymore brain cells.

"What did she do?"

"She… she cheated on me."

April pulled Adam into a tight hug and stroked his platinum blond hair, rubbing his back as he openly sobbed onto her shoulder. This was clearly tearing him up inside and April soon realised that he was burning photographs of them together. And when she looked inside his locker, she noticed the group photo had two faces inked out; Trish and Chris.

"Adam," she asked cautiously. He looked at her and she smiled half-heartedly. There was a huge knot in her throat and she didn't think what came out of her mouth next actually would; "is Chris cheating on me with Trish?"

Adam chewed on the inside of his lip before he responded with a simple nod.

April's heart dropped into the pit of her stomach and she released her hold on Adam. He blinked at her but she couldn't breathe so she leaned against the lockers and dropped to the ground, crying her crystal green eyes out.

How could he do this to her? How could he lie to her and sleep with someone else, one of her closest friends no less? It just didn't make sense.

Adam dropped to his knees beside her.

"I know how you feel," he said quietly and she shook her head, looking at him, make-up dripping down her face.

"Where is he?" she choked out and he bit the inside of his lower lip, contemplating whether or not he should tell her or not. When he hesitated, she jumped to her feet and growled lowly in her chest. She was a Calaway, damnit! She wasn't going to be treated like this.

"Don't worry," she stated, "I'll find him myself."

~X~

April found her 'boyfriend' and father to her child right where she thought he would be; on the oval with Paul, leaning against a goal post. Lying on Paul's lap was a girl with shiny black hair and a dark tan. April had never seen her before but she figured it was Paul's girlfriend, Joanie.

April jumped over the fence and walked over to Chris and stood in front of him, hands on her toned hips. He looked up at her and his face instantly grew concerned.

"Uh oh," he said, hauling himself up, "who died?"

"No one," April replied sullenly. Chris blinked at her before raking his hand through his tangled blond hair.

"What's wrong then?"

"Let me answer your question with one of my own. Who's a better fuck, Irvine; me or Stratus?"

Chris paled when he saw her eyes narrow and he looked down at Paul and Joanie who giggled, looking away; they weren't gonna get into this. Chris looked back at April.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Chris. I found out from Adam this morning that his blonde slut of an ex girlfriend has been fucking around with you."

"I don't-"

"Don't fucking lie straight to my face, Chris. I know the truth." She didn't want to do it but her eyes welled with tears and she broke down in front of him. "You lied to me; you used me; You humiliated me! And for what? A cheap fuck?" She shoved him back to the ground and kicked him in the torso, smirking when he groaned. She pointed at her stomach and Chris looked up. "You did this to me."

"Did what?" he groaned but he received a swift kick to the stomach in return.

"Screw you, Irvine." She stopped and turned, feeling her eyes lower as she started to cry all over again.

Her shoulders trembled before she was pulled into someone's muscular embrace. It was Paul. She rested her head against his chest and cried. God, Chris had really played with her heart. He didn't care about her. If he did, he wouldn't have fucked around with Trish. That was a big no-no for anyone when it came to the Calaway's. Rule number one; do not mess with their hearts. She loved him. God damn he didn't know how much she loved him. She was pregnant with his child and he had to go and pull a stunt like this? What if the baby—no, scratch that. He'd never find out about the baby. She'd raise it on her own, away from Chris Irvine, away from Venice Beach all together.

April pulled away from Paul and ran off towards the main building to empty her locker. This was not something she wanted to deal with at school in front of everyone.


	18. The Getaway

Chapter Seventeen: The Getaway

A.N: The Getaway belongs rightfully to Hilary Duff and it from the album Hilary. Also, I have no idea what kind of dog Zeus is just that he's large breed so shush. I also know that the plot is mostly focussed on April at the moment but there's a reason for that. Don't worry; there is a method to my madness. ENJOY!

It was late afternoon when April returned home. Mark had heard her slam the front gate closed and had run to make sure she was okay but when he went to hug her, she shoved him away and ran upstairs, her eyes tearing as she went. Gunner and Anna entered soon after, their school bags wrapped around their shoulders.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked of his children and they shrugged in unison.

Mark groaned and called after April, running up the stairs two at a time and pushing the door open to his oldest daughter's room. She was hastily putting random clothing items into a duffle bag when he entered.

"April?"

"I can't stay here, Daddy," she said automatically. She turned and Mark realised how sad she really was. Tears were streaming down her face, smearing her dark make-up. She sat down on her bed and looked up at her father, flicking a loose strand of black hair form her eyes. "I can't."

"Tell me what happened." Mark wandered over and sat beside her and just when he thought she was about to speak, she flopped down onto his legs and cried her pretty green eyes out. Mark's fingers stroked against the soft cotton of her blue singlet as he waited for her to stop, but she didn't. "Well, I haven't done anything wrong… that I know of." April laughed but continued to cry. "The siblings have been good… so far… so my next guess is a boy."

April sat up and stared at her father like he had a sixth sense. How did he know?

Mark smirked. "Chris Irvine to be exact."

April wiped away a tear, smearing her eyeliner and mascara even more, and nodded her head, returning to crying on her father's lap. He resumed his comforting.

"Cheated?"

April nodded but didn't say anything. Mark looked over at her bag and raised an eyebrow.

"And you think running away is going to solve the problem." April nodded again against his thigh and he pulled her up. She blinked at him through teary eyes. "Well, I hate to tell you, April, but you're not going anywhere."

"I can't stay here when I know the next time I see Chris I'm gonna punch his smug little face in," she said flatly and he looked at her like she stated something obvious.

"And where are you gonna go? You have no money, no way of getting out of this city except for hitchhiking but I raised you better than that."

"I don't know, Dad." April stood and resumed her packing. "I guess I'll just have to borrow money from you or the siblings."

Mark smirked and leaned back on his haunches, looking at his daughter.

"I'm not lending you money so you can travel to the other side of the planet to start over again as some fucking porn star or something. Not gonna happen, Angel-babe."

"I don't care." April looked at her father and scowled. "You can't keep me here against my will."

"Oh yes I can," Mark said, standing. He cupped his daughter's shoulders and shook her gently so it all sank in. "You're fifteen years old; which means, missy, that you're underage and I can legally do whatever I want to you."

April's eyes began to water again and she pushed her father away.

By this time, Anna and Gunner had wandered upstairs to see what was wrong and they'd seen April do this. This was the first fight they'd ever witnessed between April and Mark and they hoped it would be the last.

"You can drag me back here, kicking and screaming," April said, looking at her siblings then back at Mark, "but I'll just run away again."

"You're not going anywhere," Mark said, his voice growling at the end. He was getting madder and madder by the second. His daughter was not going anywhere.

April took a deep breath and tried again. "Just for once, I'd like to leave and have it be for me, not for you because you can't stay in one fucking place! Mom's been dead for eleven years, Dad. She's not coming back. Sure, I miss her too, and I want to see her badly, but I don't want to have to break your heart again."

Mark's eye twitched violently and he stepped close to his daughter. "Too late."

And he left the room, slamming his office door shut with a loud bang.

~X~

April, Anna and Gunner sat in the kitchen while their father paced back and forth across the living room. He was furious, and they knew it. So they avoided him like the plague. They didn't want to provoke him any further.

"Where are you gonna go?" Anna asked, taking a bite of her apple. April shrugged.

"I was gonna give Kevin a call and see if I could stay with him in Chicago."

Gun snorted and his sisters looked at him.

"No offence, Angel, but if you move in with K-Nash and Scotty, you're bound to be a fucking hooker by the time you're eighteen."

"Gee, thanks Gun." April threw the stick of her apple at him and he laughed.

Mark entered the room soon after, his face less red then it had been. He looked at April and swallowed back the growl in his voice. She looked at him with an expressionless face and he breathed out.

"Have you changed your mind yet?" Asked the patriarch of the Calaway clan.

"Nope," April said with a quick shake of the head. Her black pony-tail swung back and forth as she did so and came to a stop over her left shoulder, hanging down past her chest plate.

Mark nodded and clapped his hands together, making a gun with his fingers and pointing them at Gunner and Anna.

"You two; out. Your sister and I need to discuss this properly."

Anna and Gunner instantly shot from the room and Mark sat down beside his daughter, covering her hands with one of his, stroking her knuckles affectionately.

~X~

It was now close to midnight when Mark sat bolt-upright in bed, his chest heaving. Zeus, the Golden Retriever he'd had since Jodi died, was clawing at the door, whimpering.

"What's wrong, boy?" Mark asked of his faithful companion and Zeus barked loudly. The thirty-six year old hauled himself from his bed with a groan and wandered over, opening the door.

Zeus instantly ran to April's slightly ajar door and nudged it open with his nose, going in. Mark found this very strange so he followed behind him, entering his daughter's room. The room was dark so he flipped the light on, shock instantly showing up on his face.

April was gone. Her duffle bag and guitar case gone with her. Her desk was completely devoid of her writing materials except for a little slip of paper which Zeus pawed at. Mark picked it up and flipped it open, reading his beloved daughter's handwriting.

_Dad,_

_I know we agreed that you would drop me off at Grandma's in the morning BUT I couldn't stay in LA any longer. The pain inside my chest has gotten to the point where I want to claw it out. I want the pain to stop, Daddy. I want it to stop._

_Anyway, if you want to say your goodbyes, I'll be on the 12:30 greyhound to Chicago._

_Love always,_

_April xox._

_P.S: You're going to be a grandfather._

Mark's eyes widened and he practically ran from the room. Grabbing his jacket from the coat rack near the door, he bounded out into the garage and hopped on his motorcycle, gunning the engine and heading off towards the bus station.

April was not going to leave this city.


	19. Epilogue End Part One

Epilogue (Part One): White Horse

A.N: White Horse belongs respectfully to Taylor Swift from the album Fearless and Butterfly Fly Away belongs rightfully to Miley Cyrus and Billy-Ray Cyrus. This chapter is dedicated to XoX-ShAdAy-XoX because she always wanted to write it but she gave up before she could. Love you Cuz :)

The bus April was on was pulled into the depot when Mark arrived on his Harley. He quickly cut the engine and climbed off, running to the side of the bus. April was sitting at a window, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees and she silently cried behind the glass. Mark's heart broke to see her that way. She was usually so strong and it took something of an incredible magnitude to set her off like that. Chris must have meant a lot to her.

April wiped a tear from her eye and looked out the window, spotting her father in the crowd. She smiled softly when he didn't immediately climb aboard the bus and carry her home, kicking and screaming. He just looked at her and smiled back, his eyes glossing over. April fogged up the window a bit and drew with her fingers a butterfly about the size of her palm.

Mark swallowed back the lump in his throat when he realised what she meant.

_Xox~ Flashback- March, 1992- Austin, Texas ~xox_

_April had left the party to sit in the paddock with her horse, Snowflake. She'd taken her guitar with her so she could finish her song and escape to the world she knew all too well; music. Mark found her against a tree, her notebook closed as she fingered at the strings._

_"Apple," he said quietly and she looked up at her, her twelve year old eyes glistening in the dark. "Why are you hiding?"_

_"I'm not hiding," she said stubbornly but she giggled and scooched over to her father could sit beside her. "Okay maybe I am." She giggled and Mark put an arm around her. _

_From the day she'd been born, Mark knew his little Apple (nicknamed that because when she first tried to say her name it came out as Apple not April) was destined for something great. And she was; she was going to be a megastar in the music business or in journalism._

_"I finished my song," she said and he smiled down at her, removing his arm._

_"Let's hear it."_

_"Okay." April picked up her guitar pick and started to play a soft melody. She repeated it before she started singing and Mark's heart beat in time with her rhythm._

_'You tuck me in,  
Turn out the light  
kept me safe and sound at night  
little girls depend on things like that_

_Brush my teeth and combed my hair  
had to drive me everywhere  
you were always there when I looked back_

You had to do it all alone  
Make a living, make a home  
Must have been as hard as it could be

And when I couldn't sleep at night  
Scared things wouldn't turn out right  
you would hold my hand and sing to me'

_Mark smiled at his baby-girl, his little butterfly as he remembered the lullaby he used to sing to her when she was little. It always put her straight to sleep. He decided to sing along with her, like he always did._

'Caterpillar in the tree, how you wonder who you'll be  
can't go far but you can always dream  
Wish you may and wish you might  
don't you worry hold on tight.  
I promise you there will come a day  
Butterfly Fly Away  
Butterfly Fly Away

_Butterfly Fly Away_

_Got your wings now you can't stay  
Take those dreams and make them all come true  
Butterfly Fly Away (butterfly fly away)  
We been waiting for this day  
All along you've known just what to do  
Butterfly, Butterfly, Butterfly,  
Butterfly Fly Away_

Butterfly Fly Away

Butterfly Fly Away'

_April stopped playing and rested her beanie-covered head against her father's shoulder, breathing in his scent. The two of them sat there in the darkness, just enjoying each other's company._

_Xox~ End Flashback ~xox_

April raised her hand and put it against the window beside the butterfly, smiling at her father, assuring him she'd be okay and that she'd miss him.

Mark smiled and kissed his fingers, blowing his oldest a kiss before stuffing his hands in his pockets. April let the tears slip free before she misted up the window again and wrote 'I'll Miss You' in big letters. The Deadman bit his lip and looked at his shoes before looking up when the bus began to pull away. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and keyed in a message to her before turning around and going back to his bike to go home.

~X~

_1 New message: Dad_

_I'll miss you, my little butterfly. Be careful._

_Dad: If It Takes Forever, I Will Die Trying._

April felt the tears spring up in her eyes when she saw the message. Her father really did care. She stuffed her phone back in her pocket and looked out the window as the street lights and city sights of Los Angeles passed by. Even at night, LA lived up to its reputation as the City of Angels.

Upon passing the Hollywood Sign, April pulled her guitar from its case, wiping the dust off the shiny black wood.

"You play?"

April jerked around to find a guy sitting in the seat behind her, smiling politely. He had long brown hair and a goatee, making him look somewhat stalker-ish but he had a kind smile and his eyes shone with curiosity.

"A little." April shrugged and pulling a pick from her pocket, feeling a rhythm, tempo and words flowing into her head.

She pulled her pick and thumb against the strings and started to play.

_'Say you're sorry that face of an angel comes out just when you need it to  
As I pace back and forth all this time 'cause I honestly believed in you  
Holding on the days drag on  
Stupid girl I should've known I should've known_

_I'm not a princess  
this ain't a fairytale  
I'm not the one you'll sweep off her feet;_

_lead her up the stairwell  
This ain't Hollywood  
This is a small town  
I was a dreamer before you went and let me down  
Now it's too late for you and your white horse to come around_

_Baby I was naive got lost in your eyes and never really had a chance  
Well my mistake I didn't know to be in love you had to fight to have the upper hand  
I had so many dreams about you and me;  
Happy endings now I know_

_That I'm not your princess,  
this ain't a fairytale.  
I'm not the one you'll sweep off her feet;_

_Lead her up the stairwell._

_This ain't Hollywood_

_This is a small town_

_I was a dreamer before you went and let me down_

_Now it's too late for you and your white horse to come around._

_And there you are on your knees  
Beggin for forgiveness  
Beggin for me  
Just like I always wanted  
But I'm so sorry_

'Cause I'm not your princess this ain't a fairytale

_I'm gonna find someone someday who might actually treat me well  
This is a big world  
It was a small town  
There in my rear-view mirror disappearing now  
And it's too late for you and your white horse to catch me now_

Oh oh oh oh oh try and catch me now  
Its too late  
To catch me now

April stopped playing when she heard light applause from the guy she'd played for. She smiled as her cheeks flushed a crimson red.

"No, don't be embarrassed. That was really good. Fantastic," he said and put his hand over the seat. "Chris Klucsarits, but my friends call me Chris Kanyon."

"April," she said, taking his hand. "April Calaway."

"Calaway… I've heard that name before."

"Ever heard of Mark Calaway?"

"Yeah, the Undertaker."

"He's my Dad."

Chris's face paled but then he brightened.

"Cool. Where you heading…?"

~X~ END PART ONE ~X~


	20. Prologue Part Two

Prologue: Part Two

_June, 1996- Venice Beach, California- 3:14AM_

Mark returned home from the bus station into the early hours of the morning. Anna and Gunner had heard his bike vacate the garage and were wrapped up in a blanket in the living room when he got home. Anna's red hair was tied back in a floppy pony-tail while Gunner's was spiked up all over his head like he'd just woken up.

Mark didn't say a word but just sat on the sofa beside his children and hugged them, silent words being whispered between them.

~X~

With only five hours sleep on their side, Anna and Gunner returned to school for their last day before summer vacation started as depressed as ever. April had always been the glue that held the Calaway family together, and after her departure, they had no idea how long it would be until they fell apart completely.

Since they were in their sophomore year, they had the morning off for the end-of-year carnival that the seniors threw for the years below them. But they weren't in the mood.

"So she just left?" Paul asked as he and Adam sat with the twins on the bleachers. Anna nodded while Gunner stayed eerily quiet. "Wow."

"I should stab Chris in the neck with a pencil," Adam said lowly, looking at Paul. Paul snickered and laughed, nodding his head.

Gunner looked between the two blonds before looking down at the oval where Trish and Chris were picking on Cassie. Derek was nowhere in sight so he jumped to his feet and started to go down there to help her.

Anna watched her brother go and then looked over to Trish and Chris who had turned into plastics (the definition of popular people) over night.

"Oh no," she said below her breath and jumped to her feet, grabbing Paul and Adam by the hands and dragging them with her to defuse this situation.

Anna got to her brother just in time as his punch aimed at Chris was countered and he was shoved to the ground. Chris smirked and then looked at Anna who glared at him.

"Fuck you, Irvine," she growled, cursing in public for the first time in forever. She helped Gun to his feet just as Trish folded herself in Chris's arms to show off that she'd beaten April.

"You know," Paul said, glaring at his best friend since kindergarten, "this is all your fault. The destruction of the clique is all your fault."

"How so?" Chris asked smugly, holding Trish tight.

"Well let's see. You slept with April, claiming to have loved her, then slept with one of her best friends. Oh, and to top it off that best friend happened to be your best friend's girlfriend. That's really low, Irvine."

Chris shrugged and this only made Paul madder. Her swung a perfect right hook and knocked Chris to the ground, Trish falling beside him.

"Hope you rot in hell, bastard." The tall blond growled lowly before returning to the bleachers. Gunner and Anna stared in shock. They'd never seen Paul do that.

Adam looked from his shoes to Trish and said one word that summed up pretty much everything he was feeling: "Bitch." And he followed after Paul.

"This is barely the beginning, Chris," Anna said, running a hand through her hair. Chris looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "When April comes back, you're gonna die." And she followed after the two blonds with her baby brother in tow.


	21. Secret Passions

Chapter One: Secret Passions

"You know, without April on lead, our band is gonna suck major."

Anna nodded her head as she and Gunner walked home from school, slushies in one hand and cotton candy in the other. It was just after school and they were alone with their thoughts. Well, almost alone. Zeus ran up to them when they reached their street and was instantly put on his leash because the big, Golden Retriever was bound to run off.

Mark was sitting on the porch, a cup of coffee in his hand. He smiled at his two remaining children as they climbed up the steps. Anna sat down on the seat swing and pulled her legs close, her bag dropped unceremoniously onto the hardwood slats. Gunner sat on the railing, leaning against the post, one leg raised, the other swinging absent-mindedly back and forth while his bag was flung at the wall.

"So you two had a good day?" Mark said, taking a swig of his coffee.

"Ha-ha, no," Anna said dully, flicking a strand of her red hair from her eyes.

Gun shrugged. "I nearly punched Chris Irvine in the mouth."

"Sunova bitch had it coming," Anna added with an evil chuckle. Mark snickered.

"I've decided something," he said after a minute and he poured the rest of his coffee into the garden. He sat down beside Anna on the swing and pat the seat next to him for Gunner to sit down. "And no, before you ask, it's not to move away again. Since your sister's gone and I'm not spending enough time with you I'm only going to be on the road when I really have to."

"Meaning?" Anna asked and Mark smiled.

"Meaning Mondays, Pay-per views and overseas tours."

Anna's eyes widened and she wrapped her arms tightly around Mark's neck, practically strangling him. Gunner nodded.

"Cool, Dad. Real cool."

~X~

"And that just put a massive hole in my plan."

Gunner flopped down onto his beanbag in the basement while Anna sucked at the tip of her straw. They'd retreated to the basement, their home underneath their home, to escape their father who was now parading around the house with a big grin on his face. And the grin certainly wasn't contagious.

"That plan being…?"

"Rapping when Dad's away. You know that, Anne."

Anna snorted and sat down on top of a pile of boxes. Her brother had been rapping his little heart out for months, trying to at least get someone to notice him but every time he got on the stage, he choked and ran off. He'd chewed up, spit out and booed off stage just because he was white and wanted to be a rap artist. Big deal, Gunner was the best rapper in all of California. The people in the clubs just refused to believe he could because of his skin tone. The same had happened to Marshall Mathers, who the entire world knew now as Eminem.

"Maybe I should pretend to be black," Gunner said, almost to himself. He fiddled with the notebook in his hands. Inside were song lyrics for a song he'd written called 'Scene for Dummies' and other various songs. Ironically, Gunner wasn't labelled a gangster or an outcast. Oh no, he was a scene kid. Causing a scene was his thing and he was good at it.

"If you pretend to be black, the KKK is gonna be so far up your ass you'll be inside out," Anna stated firmly, throwing her empty slushy cup at him. He blocked it with his book and stared at her.

"It was just a suggestion."

"Think of a better one because I wanna see you rap, baby brother."

Gunner rolled his eyes. "I know."

As he said it, an idea popped into his head.

The Bubble Club, the hottest nightclub on the west coast, was hosting a rap tournament with a recording contract with Dr Dre, Eminem's producer, as the prize. A contestant had to battle his way through three hand chosen opponents of equal or higher skill level before he got the prize.

"What about that Bubble Club tournament?" he asked of his sister, just as the basement door was pushed open and Mark poked his head in.

"Gunner, you have a visitor," he said and pushed the door open. Cassie Bautista stood behind him, her pretty brown hair tied back in two pigtails. She smiled at Gunner and he instantly bolted to the stairs and ran up them two at a time, taking her hand and leading her up to his room.

Mark and Anna just laughed.

~X~

When they reached his room, Gunner stopped and pulled Cassie in, her giggling all the while.

Sure, she was Derek's girl but she hated being pushed around by him, but since he was the unopposed leader of the outcasts, she stayed by his side to retain her status as Queen. It wasn't all good because Derek suffered from rage blackouts, and the fact that he hated Gunner with a passion for no reason whatsoever, Cassie was the direct outlet for his anger. This upset Gun to no end; he hated guys like that.

Curling up on his bed, Cassie looked at Gunner with complete adoration. Here was a guy that wouldn't be afraid to stand up for her and fight for her no matter how much bigger his opponent was. And Gunner was a relatively strong guy too; he lifted weights in the gym with his Dad when Mark was home so he could definitely handle himself.

"Gun," she whispered as he sat beside her, his fingers curling around her hand. He leaned in close to her and nudged his nose against hers, his breath tickling her skin as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Gun, we can't."

"Who's to stop us?" Gunner breathed, tilting her head up so she was looking at him. He ran his fingers through her hair and smiled, knocking their foreheads together.

It was at that very moment that Cassie threw her arms around Gunner's neck and started to cry. Gunner wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed against his shirt, clearly distraught over the confusing feelings in her head.

She loved Gunner with all her heart, even after knowing him for only a few months, but Derek was her boyfriend and he had been for close to three years. It was a confusing thing for her to be in and he totally understood it. He'd been in a similar situation before. He had been in a fairly good relationship with a girl named Miranda but had a major crush on Maria, his sister's best friend, when they'd lived in Miami. Thinking about it now, it was probably a good thing that Miranda had dumped him and Maria had rejected him because he wouldn't be in this situation with Cassie if it hadn't happened.

"Gun, I can't," Cassie whimpered against his shirt and he grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her away, his heart breaking as he saw her eyeliner running down her face.

"Listen to me, Cassa-Mai," he said, addressing her by the nickname he'd given her. She let out a weak sob as he continued. "You can. You can do absolutely anything, as long as you set your mind to it. Don't lose faith in yourself."

"You sound like my brother," Cassie said with a choked giggle. Gunner grinned, kissing her lightly on the lips.

"I'm just clever like that."


	22. Challenges and Presents

Chapter Two: Challenges and Presents

A.N: The name Charlie Scene belongs to the guy from Hollywood Undead and the song Mobile belongs to Avril Lavigne and is from the album Let Go. Go download it if you don't have it because it rocks hard.

Anna sat on her bed with her notebook in her hands, a pen stuck between her teeth as she tried to think of what to write. In the Calaway family, April was good at writing lyrics and stories, Anna was good at writing poetry and Gunner was good at writing raps, but that didn't help her now because her brain was on meltdown.

She flung her pen across the room and curled further into her pastel pink blanket, dropping her head to her knees. She missed her sister. April and Anna had been the glue that held each other together... nothing could have stopped them from taking on the world and winning... except Chris Irvine. God, even thinking the name now brought a disgusting taste to her mouth.

A light knock on the door drew Anna from her daze and she looked up. Mark poked his head in and smiled. She smiled back, scooting over a bit so he could sit down. He did and pulled her into a hug. In his hand was a package with 'Anna Calaway, 3 Horizon Heights, Venice Beach, California' written in black sharpie.

"What's that?" She asked and Mark handed it to her.

"This came for you this morning but I didn't know if you were awake or not."

He flipped it over and Anna felt her eyes start to water. On the back with a big love heart written in red was 'I love you, Bunny-Boo' with April's new address written in black sharpie above it. She cupped her mouth as Mark opened the package and pulled out a plastic white rose, the sign of sisterly-love for every one of the Calaway girls down the line. Along with the rose was a video. On it wrote 'For Bunny-Boo's viewing purposes only' in April's familiar scrawl. Mark put it in Anna's video player before leaving the room so she could watch it in peace.

The first thing Anna saw was her beautiful smiley sister sitting on a bed, her hair tied back in a neat braid. Dark eye make-up covered her eyes and a beaded choker chain rested around her head. Anna smiled when she saw April's custom blue and white 'Angel' off-shoulder tee and faded blue jeans.

"Hey Bunny-boo," April said and Anna waved. "I bet you didn't think you'd hear from me so soon but I had this feeling you've been worried sick about me. I made this video to let you know that I'm okay. I have a nice place to stay and a couple of guy room-mates and hopefully I'm getting a job soon so that should work out well." April chuckled and Anna felt her heart break; she missed her sister so much it hurt. April's visage on the screen was soon joined by a man with shoulder length brown hair and a strong build. Anna recognised him as Chris Kanyon, from WCW. What was April doing with Chris Kanyon?

"Rabbit, this is Chris Kanyon," April said and smiled. Chris smirked and sat down beside her. "Like he needs an introduction." She turned to Chris. "So hi, you goon."

Chris winked, saluted and smiled, resting back on his haunches. April giggled and pulled her black guitar from its stand. Anna smiled and scooted closer to the television, turning the volume up. She knew her sister was going to play her a song; April always did.

"Another reason for making this video was-" April glared at a point above the camera and light chuckling could be heard off screen. "Kevin stop, you're distracting me." Kevin Nash poked his blonde head into view and smiled like a dork which made Anna giggle. Once Kevin's head was gone, April tossed a pillow at him and grinned. "Douche-nugget," she said with a hint of bitterness. Anna giggled and let April continue. "Another reason for this video was to let you know why I ran away."

April bit her lip and Anna reached towards the screen, touching it lightly with her fingers. God, she missed her sister so much. And seeing her in the state she was in made her want to catch a bus to Chicago and hug her til she felt better.

"I didn't run away to hurt Dad, Anna, and I didn't do it to hurt you and Gun. I didn't mean to hurt anyone," April said and leaned on her guitar. Chris smirked and joined in.

"Running away hurts people, April," he said with a chuckle and April whacked him.

"Shut up." Turning back to the camera, she smiled at her baby sister and hugged herself. "I ran away to give myself some time to get over the major asshole that is Chris Irvine." Pausing, she blinked away tears and looked vividly at the screen. "Take care of the Goomba brother for me, okay? And try and keep Shawnie out of trouble."

Anna giggled and nodded her head, resting her head against the screen. Hearing April's voice made Anna feel that much happier but she still felt alone in the world without her big sister to help her.

April pulled a guitar pick from the nightstand of her bed and Chris disappeared from her side. Anna looked at April and April seemed to look back.

"I love you, Anna Alana Chantal Calaway. Always."

"I love you too, April Hailie Jade Calaway. Forever." Anna placed her hand against the screen as April started to play her guitar. The sound of drums could be heard nearby and Anna guessed it was Chris helping the oldest Calaway along.

_Went back home again  
This sucks, gotta pack up and leave again  
Say goodbye to all my friends  
Can't say when I'll be there again_

Anna bit her lip and let a tear escape her eyes as she heard April's voice echo from the speakers of her TV. April's voice was like Angel's singing so the nickname she'd been given by Maria, Ashley and Anna had been right on the money. Angel was definitely one in a billion.

_Its time no to turn around,_

_Turn my back on everything._

_Turn my back on everything._

_Everything's changing,_

_When I turn around,_

_It's out of my control_

_I'm a mobile._

_Everything's changing_

_All out of my control_

_I'm a mobile._

_Start back at this life,_

_Stretch myself back into the light_

_I'm waking up to say I've tried _

_Instead of waking up to another TV guide_

_It's time now to turn around_

_Turn and walk on this crazy ground._

_Everything's changing when I turn around  
I'm out of my control  
I'm a mobile  
Everything's changing out of what I know  
Everywhere I go  
I'm a mobile_

I'm a mobile  
Hanging from the ceiling  
Life's a mobile  
Spinning 'round with mixed feelings  
Crazy and wild  
Sometimes I wanna scream out loud

Everything's changing everywhere I go  
I'm out of my control  
Everything's changing everywhere I go  
Out of what I know  
La la la la la la la la la

[chorus]  
Everything's changing when I turn around  
I'm out of my control  
I'm a mobile  
Everything's changing out of what I know  
Everywhere I go  
I'm a mobile

Everywhere I go  
I'm a mobile

The music stopped and April climbed from the bed and onto her knees, leaning against the camera lens, whispering to her sister.

"Don't let Dad bully you into being a good girl. It's up to you now to be the thorn in his side," she said with a wink and Anna giggled, kissed the screen. April's image smiled. "I miss you Anna-girl. Don't forget that I'll always love you."

"And I you," Anna whispered, choking back tears. April winked and started to hum the Bratz theme song that she'd written for them months ago.

"Make us worthy, make us proud. Teach us not to be too loud. We'll try and fit in with the crowd, but we are the Bratz Girls." With a smile, she kissed the camera and switched it off.

Anna smiled, pulled the video from the player and sat it on her desk before grabbing her jacket, wallet and cell phone, leaving the room to spend the rest of her afternoon with her misfit boyfriend, like April had silently told her to.

~X~

The day was slowly turning into afternoon when Gunner decided to head down to the beach. In his hand was a piece of paper (that he'd snagged from the Bubble club) that he intended to give to Cassie and hopefully Derek if he was with her. It was a contract for the rap battle at the bubble club that night; a battle for the contract with Dre and the right to date Cassie. He knew Derek wasn't treating her right, nor would he ever because he was one of the outcast kids who thought they were better than everyone else, which was quite the contrary. Derek was an asshole and that was all it took for Gunner to want to get his Cassa-Mai away from him for good. That and he liked her... a lot.

As he reached the boardwalk, he fell face first into the sand, his skateboard skidding to a stop next to his head. Loud laughter made him look up and, feeling the rough grains against his tongue and the roof of his mouth, cough up sand. He scowled, spying Derek, Scott and Coby standing the the gazebo on the beach, laughing their obnoxious asses off. Cassie sat on the railing, her face stuck in sympathetic. Gunner, not wanting to embarrass himself, jumped to his feet and dusted his pompous self off, grabbing his skateboard and jumping onto it, kicking away from the pavement and skating down the path to the elevated wooden hut.

"Hey, Derek!" Gunner yelled, coming to a stop next to Coby. The older boy scowled down at him then grinned. He was the only outcast kid, besides Scott and Cassie, who actually liked Gun.

"Nice stack, man," Derek sneered, smirking at the youngest Calaway. "Come to get your ass kicked?"

"No, I actually just came to give you this." Gunner handed the contract to the older boy, his confidence reaching its peak. Derek snatched the paper, read it quickly, and then looked at Gunner like he'd just grown a second head.

"A rap battle?"

"Yeah, I have a friend coming down from Hollywood who's willing to battle you." Gunner blew a lock of his bronze hair out of his eyes and waited for Derek's reaction.

All Derek did was smirk, which was _not_ the reaction Gunner had been hoping for.

"What's the prize?"

"Me," Cassie piped up, swinging down into the sand beside Gun. Derek glared down at her. She stared back then looked at Gunner and winked; she knew the drill. Derek growled at her and signed his name aggressively onto the bottom of the page beside Gunner's swirly handwriting.

"I'm going to win anyway so it doesn't really matter," he said and tossed the contract at Gunner. "What's the name of the guy?"

"Charlie," Gunner said, getting ready to skate away. He stuffed the contract in his pocket and mounted his skateboard. "Charlie Scene."

As he kicked away from the path and back onto the boardwalk, he smiled. Little did Derek know, Charlie Scene was Gunner's current stage-name and the name he was going to use in the rap battle for Cassie's hand.


	23. Judgement

Chapter Three: Judgement

A.N: The rap battles belong to Eminem and are from 8 Mile. I own nothing except the word changes. This is the chapter I've been wanting to do for months so that's why its nice and long; deal with it! Hugs and kisses, ExI

"Are you sure about this?"

Anna looked at her brother as he picked out his attire for the night from his closet. Gunner tossed his Iron Maiden shirt at the bed beside his sister as he searched for something.

"Very sure," he said, his pace not slowing. Anna raised a eyebrow, casually picking at the gunk under her nails before she fell off the bed as something smacked her in the face. Pulling it away, she realised it was his leather jeans, the ones Mark had given him. They had a faded white devil skull on one of the legs and a tear in one of the pockets, but they were his favourite things to wear when he was out rapping. Anna giggled and put her fingers through the hole in the right knee.

"Do you want me to fix them? I have leather patches somewhere?" She asked but Gunner grabbed them and quickly shoved them on, standing in front of the mirror on his closet.

"No. Grunge is Charlie's look," Gunner stated firmly and Anna couldn't help but suppress a giggle. There was a loud knock on the door and Anna jumped up, opening it a crack. Scott's broad smile greeted her.

"Well, if it isn't Scott Levy. How you doing handsome?" she giggled and opened the door so he could come in, quickly shutting it behind him. Scott looked at her with a puzzled expression but chose to forget it; no point asking, really.

"Oh, pretty good. Just visiting the girlfriend, you know, same old same old." He grinned and pulled her close by the loops of her leather skirt. She giggled and wrapped her arms around him.

"Guys could we NOT make-out in front of the little brother?"

Anna turned to Gunner, her eyes wide.

Gunner stood near his bed his arms crossed over his chest. He wore a Motley Crew t-shirt, his leather pants and his sneakers, covered by a black and grey hoody that Anna had made him. Around his mouth was a black, white and blue bandana that completely covered his nose, mouth and neck. On his head was his 'No Rules' cap, turned sideways slightly, and a pair of dark sunglasses. His entire face was hidden.

"I thought Charlie was a scene kid, not a grunge kid," Anna pointed out, taking in his attire. He laughed and pulled the bandana down.

"His name is Charlie Scene, but he's a full-on, Nirvana-loving, pot smoking, rapping grunge kid," he said, grinning.

"You better not be smoking pot, Gunner Harley Calaway," Anna said sternly, eyeing him suspiciously.

Gunner closed an eye and poked his tongue out at her; she was so clueless. "That'd be you my dear sister."

"Bite me."

"Where and how hard?"

As the siblings argued Scott stared in disbelief. Until he was nine, he'd grown up an only child. These two had grown up together and had more inside jokes then he'd ever heard. Grace was a brilliant sister, no doubt about that, but she wasn't old enough to know what Scott was going through, these two were. It was kind of… cool… in a creepy way.

"You ready for tonight?" He asked of Gun. The younger boy nodded and gave Scott the thumbs up.

"Ready as ever."

"Cool." Scott turned to Anna. "Can I talk to you alone?"

Anna looked at her boyfriend, a puzzled look on her face, and smiled, nodding her head.

Scott led Anna to the rec room, making sure to shut the door behind them. Anna looked at him, tilting her head to the side as she smiled, her eyebrow raised in question.

"What's wro-"

Anna was cut off when Scott's lips pressed against hers, devouring her mouth in a passionate kiss. Fireworks exploded between them again as Anna wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close, tangling her fingers in his hair. He gently pushed her up against the pool table and slipped his hand up her shirt, rubbing at her back affectionately as his kisses trailed seductively down her throat. Anna had a feeling she knew what he was doing but at that point she didn't care; his touch was making her nerves go insane.

Anna gasped and arched her shoulders back as Scott's teeth and lips nipped at the sensitive spot on her neck. A flutter of pleasure pulsed through her like someone had jabbed her in the neck with a cattle-prod set on low as Scott's kisses trailed back up to her jaw. He bit at the beauty mark that sat just below her mouth before he pulled away, nudging his pointed nose against her button one.

"I want you so bad right now," he whispered, his hand running up her back and up to her bra. She couldn't deny that she wanted him to, but what if he'd leave her after they did it, like Chris had with April? No, she couldn't put herself through that heartbreak. Anna bit her lip and stared into his eyes. He seemed sincere, but there was a fire in his eyes she'd never seen before; lust. He was mad with it; he wanted her bad.

"Scott, no," she breathed, gently pushing him away. He looked at her like she'd actually struck him but he placed his hand over hers and stared into her beautiful green eyes.

"Too fast?"

Anna shook her head. "I'm just not ready. Maybe one day. But not today, baby. Not like this. I want our first time to be special." Scott looked like he wanted to cry but he nodded his head.

"I respect your decision." He said that like he'd rehearsed it, but Anna didn't read much into it. Instead, she slung her arms around his neck and pulled him closer by curling her legs around him, crossing them tightly together. His eyebrow bobbed and he smirked. "Babe?"

"Those kisses were pretty damn hot, though," she said, her eyebrow bobbing suggestively.

"You tease," he said back, grinning before devouring her mouth in a head-popping kiss.

The make-out session continued for a few minutes before the sound of Gun mock gagging behind the door wafted through the slats of the door. Scott pulled away and plastered an annoyed look on his face while Anna giggled, slipping off her boot and tossing it at the door. Gun yelped and opened the door.

"Hey, you coulda hurt someone with that," he said, his bandana masking his face. Anna shrugged. Gunner grinned and gestured with his thumb. "Time to go."

Scott helped Anna off of the pool table and back to her feet before she slipped her boot back on and went to her room to change into her outfit then follow her brother and boyfriend out the door.

~X~

The Bubble Club was filled with happy people as they waited for the rap battles to start. Gun, as Charlie Scene, Anna, as his manager J3T (Jesse 3 Tears) and Scott, as his alter-ego, Raven, stood at the bar, waiting for Gun's rap sheet. It wasn't literally a list of felonies of course. The list consisted of the three people he'd rap; Lotto, Papa Doc and Lickety Split. Gun turned to Anna as he received the list from the bartender. Anna read the list over Gun's shoulder and frowned, her brow furrowing.

"Where's Derek's name?" she asked, turning to Scott. He put his ice-tea on the bar and took the sheet from Gunner. He scanned the sheet and circled 'Papa Doc' with a red pen.

"Derek is Papa Doc, Coby is Lickety Split and Derek's friend Jeremy is Lotto," he stated, smiling. Gunner bobbed his head, yes, then turned to finish his lemon-lime soda.

He could do this… he had to.

~X~

Gunner stepped onto the stage, his skin pale and his hands shaking; this was the first time he'd rapped in front of an audience purposefully listening to him. He gulped as Coby stepped onto the stage, his bandana wrapped around his head. The dark skinned boy nodded at his opponent for the night, smug smirk on his face.

Future, the MC for the night, stepped between them and announced what was going on.

"Alright, yo. This battle is the first of three, and it's everyone's favourite small-town rapper, Lickety Split!-" he pointed to Coby who raised his fists in triumph, much to the glee of the crowd; they stood and shouted his name. Anna and Scott booed, the only two in attendance who did- "versus his opponent, the new Rabbit on the block, from Ho-lee-wood, Mr Charlie Scene!" Gun turned the crowd and saluted, getting a few cheers here and there. He wasn't unknown after all.

Future stood right between the two and held up a Canadian dollar. He looked to Gun.

"Which side, bro?"

Gun contemplated for a second. "Heads."

Coby smirked. "I'ma eat you alive, white boy. You don't belong here."

"Try me," Gun said, stepping back to his spot as Future threw the coin. It span in the air a few times before landing on Future's palm. He covered it before either competitor could see and stepped back into the darkness, removing his palm. He smirked and looked at Coby.

"Tails. Resident D-O-Double-G goes first. You got a minute to verbally burn each other out. Have a ball."

Coby took the mic from Future as the music started and rubbed his jaw, nodding his head. Gun watched him as he started his assault.

_"This guy's a choke artist  
Ya catch a bad one  
Your better off shootin yourself  
With Papa doc's handgun  
Climbin up this mountain your weak  
I'll leave you lost without a paddle  
Floatin shits creek_

You ain't Detroit, I'm the D  
Your the new kid on the block  
Bout to get smacked back to the boondocks  
Fuckin Nazi, this crowd ain't your type  
Take some real advice and form a group with Vanilla Ice  
And what I tell you, you better use it  
This guy's a hillbilly, this ain't Willie Nelson music

Trailer trash, I'll choke you to your last breath  
And have you lookin foolish  
Like Cheddar Bob when he shot himself  
Silly Rabbit, I know why they call you that  
Cause you follow Raven like he got carrots up his asscrack  
And when you actin up tats when you got jacked up  
And left stupid like Tina Turner when she got smacked up

I'll crack your shoulder blade  
You'll get dropped so hard  
Elvis will start turnin in his grave  
I don't know why they let you out in the dark  
You need to take your white ass back across 8 mile  
To the trailer park."

He forced the mic into Gun's hand and stepped back, smirking. He looked pleased with himself. Derek, from under his cap, smacked his friend on the shoulder, congratulating him. Cassie was by his side, looking frightened. She had a thick layer of make-up on, obscuring her usually beautiful face. He knew why too; Derek had hit her. That bastard… Gun's knuckles whitened around the mic as the crowd hushed down, hearing the music start up again for Gun's turn.

_"This guy raps like his parents jerkin  
He sounds like Erick Sermon, the generic version  
This whole crowd looks suspicious  
Its all dudes in here, except for these bitches."_

He gestured to the two girls behind Coby and they hissed as Coby glared at him. Gunner smirked and continued, his confidence growing.

_"So I'm a German, Eh  
That's ok, you look like a fuckin worm with braids  
These 'Leaders of the Free World' rookies  
Lookie, how can 6 dicks be pussies?_

Talkin bout shits creek  
Bitch, you could be up piss creek  
With paddles this deep  
Your still gonna sink  
Your a disgrace  
Yeah, they call me Rabbit  
This is a turtle race

He can't get with me spittin this shit  
Wickedly Lickety shot  
Spick spickety split Lickety  
So I'm gonna turn around with a great smile  
And walk my white ass back across 8 mile."

Gunner pulled down his bandana and smiled his most charming smile. A few girls in the crowd swooned as the rest cheered for him; he wasn't half bad for a rookie. Future stepped beside Gun and raised his hand.

"Yo, Charlie Scene, my man. You just beat Lickety Split. You get Lotto next. Good luck bro," he said under his breath as Coby stepped from the stage in a huff.

Gunner smiled as Jeremy, Derek's friend, stepped up next to him. Since Gunner had won the first bout, he got to chose where he started. He chose last, it would give him time to think of something to spit back at his opponent.

The music started up again and Jeremy bobbed his head.

_"I'll spit a racial slur, honky, sue me!  
This shit is a horror flick,  
but the black guy doesn't die in this movie!  
You mess with Lotto, dawg, you gotta be kiddin!  
That makes me believe you really don't have an interest in livin!  
You think these niggas gonna feel the shit you say?  
I got a better chance joining the KKK.  
Or some real shit, though, I like you  
That's why I didn't wanna have to be the one you commit suicide to  
Fuck 'Lotto,' call me your leader  
I feel bad I gotta murder that dude from "Leave It To Beaver"  
I used to like that show, now you got me to "fight back" mode  
But oh well, if you gotta go, then you gotta go!  
I hate to do this, I would love for this shit to last  
So I'll take pictures of my rear end so you won't forget my ass  
And all's well that ends well, ok?  
So I'll end this shit with a "FUCK you, and have a nice day","_

Gun snickered behind his bandana and then pulled it down, mock clapping for the black man in front of him. That'd been a decent rap, if he hadn't said the same thing Coby did. That was just disgraceful, a felony in the world of rap. _Time to send this boy to school._

The music started up again and Gunner twirled around, pulling a Michael Jackson move. He left his bandana hanging around his neck, leaving his tanned neck muscles exposed. He'd spent the day before the rap down at the beach tanning, so he had perfect lines, even if he did get a little burned.

_"Ward, I think you were a little hard on the Beaver  
So was Eddie Haskell, Wally, and Ms. Cleaver  
This guy keeps screamin', he's paranoid!  
Quick, someone get his ass another steroid!  
"Blahbity bloo blah blah blah Blahbity bloo blah!"  
I didn't hear a word you said, "hipidy hoo blah!"  
Is that a tank top, or a new bra?  
Look, Snoop Dogg just got a fuckin' boob job!  
Didn't you listen to the last round, meathead?  
Pay attention, you're sayin the same shit that he said!  
Matter fact, dawg, here's a pencil  
Go home, write some shit, make it suspenseful,  
And don't come back until something dope hits you  
Fuck it! You can take the mic home with you!  
Lookin' like a cyclone hit you,  
Tank top screamin', "Lotto, I don't fit you!"  
You see how far those white jokes get you  
Boy's like "How Vanilla Ice gon' diss you?"  
My motto: Fuck Lotto!  
I get the 7 digits from your mother for a dollar tomorrow!"_

Gun dropped the mic onto the stage and jumped off, his job down. Lotto had dropped his cap to the ground, his eye twitching. Oh yeah, Gun had went there. He'd dissed his mom. The younger boy simply shrugged and wandered up beside Scott and Anna.

~X~

While standing at the bar finishing his drink while Future spoke with Dr Dre, the record producer himself, a lock of bronze hair had fallen from his cap. This hadn't gone unnoticed by Papa Doc himself. Derek's eyes narrowed as he figured out who the little con-artist was. Gunner Calaway had decided to show his face on the rap scene. Idiot. Derek grabbed Cassie's hand, dragging her onto the stage. She struggled and tried to pull away but he placed her firmly on the chair. He glared at her until she shut up and she did. He turned back to the crowd, mic in hand.

"Hey Scene!" he called over the crowd. Gunner looked up, his eyes narrowing behind his shades as he saw the cocky smirk on his enemy's face. Derek nodded. "Get yo' faggot ass up here and let's finish this."

Gunner did as he was told, stepping away from the bar. He removed his hat and shades but not his bandana. Who cares if his hair showed through and that his pastel green eyes sparkled in the neon lights overhead? What he cared about was hiding his face from his father, who he knew was here.

Mark watched the duo on stage and saw them stand nose to nose, inches away from throwing a fist. In his days before he'd became a wrestler, Mark had been a bouncer, so he knew what to do if things got messy. The owner of the club had asked him to come in in case they did. This 'Charlie Scene' seemed oddly familiar to him, but he let it slide. He took a swig from his whiskey and continued to watch.

"Let's finish this, pretty boy. Ain't no way my bitch is going home with that Calaway fuck," Derek said, just loud enough for Gunner to hear. He scowled and took the mic from Future, indicating he wanted to go first. Derek hadn't expected that. His plan was that he'd go first and completely destroy the little fuck and reveal who he was to everyone, including his own father. That wasn't going to work this time.

The music started up for a third time and Gunner glared at Derek before turning to the audience. Audience participation was a vital part of being a celebrity, after all.

He waved his arm back and forth and eventually, most of the crowd did too.

_"Now everybody from the 313,  
put your mother-fuckin hands up and follow me,  
everybody from the 313 put your mother-fuckin hands up.  
Look, look,"_

He turned back to Derek and pointed.

_"Now while he stands tough,  
notice that this man did not have his hands up.  
The Free World got you gassed up  
but who's afraid of the big bad wolf?_

1, 2, 3 and to the 4  
1pac, 2pac, 3pac, 4,  
4pac, 3pac, 2pac, 1,  
You're pac, he's pac, your pac's, none."

Gunner stepped close up to Derek and glared at him menacingly. The pupils in his eyes grew smaller as his eyes narrowed.

"_This guy ain't a mother-fuckin MC,  
I know everything he's got to say against me,  
I am white, I am a fuckin bum, but I don't live in a trailer with my Dad,  
My boy Raven is an uncle tom.  
I do got a dumb friend named Cheddar Bob who shoots  
himself in the leg with his own gun,"_

He gestured to Derek and, surprisingly, to Scott who stood with Anna near the stage.

_"I did get jumped by you and yo' boy,  
and YOU did fuck my girl,  
I'm still standin here screamin "FUCK THE FREE WORLD!"  
And never try and judge me dude  
You don't know what the fuck I've been through…"_

He paused and grinned under his bandana. What he was about to say next would completely destroy Derek. Cassie had told him a few thousand things about Derek that he could use, and this was one of them.  
_  
"But I know something about you,  
You went to Cranbrook, that's a private school,"_

Derek's face paled and he blinked. Gunner smirked.

_"What's the matter dawg you embarrassed?  
This guys a gangster?  
His real name's Derek."_

Derek paled even more and stepped back; busted._  
_  
_"And Derek lives at home with both parents,  
And Derek's parents have a real good marriage,  
this guy don't wanna battle, he's shook,  
Cuz ain't no such things as halfway crooks,  
He's scared to death,  
He's scared to look in his fuckin yearbook, fuck Cranbrook."_

The beat stopped and Gunner turned to Future. _Time_, Future muttered back and Gunner understood straight away; he'd gone over his limit… but he wasn't finished yet. He turned back to the crowd.

_"Fuck a beat, I'll go accapella.  
Fuck a Papa Doc, fuck a clock, Fuck a trailer  
Fuck everybody!"_

He pulled his bandana down and most of the crowd gasped. Gunner Calaway stood on the stage, his bronze hair glowing in the dark.

Mark's knuckles whitened as the grip on his glass increased. It eventually shattered and his right eye twitched; his son had disobeyed him… _again. _

Gunner saw this and his skin paled slightly. He shook his head and looked around the crowd.

_"Fuck y'all if you doubt me,  
I'm a piece of fuckin white trash I say it proudly,  
and fuck this battle I don't wanna win I'm outtie,"_

He looked at Derek with a sneer on his face.__

"Here tell these people something they don't know about me."

Gun thrust the mic back into Derek's chest and jumped from the stage, pushing his way through the crowd. Anna and Scott bolted after him, soon followed by Mark whose rage had blown sky high.

~X~

Mark caught up with Gunner at the beach as Anna and Scott were leaving, unable to convince him to come home. They walked straight up the road towards the Heights, turning around every so often to make sure Mark didn't blow his stack, which Anna knew was going to happen anyway. When they'd lived in Detroit 11 months prior, Mark had caught Gunner rapping on a street corner, busking with his so-called 'art-form.' Mark had specifically told him not to, as he'd probably get shot, but Gunner hadn't listened and had been verbally ripped to pieces by the Deadman. He promised to never do it again but he had, secretly, under persona after persona, hiding his activities from his dad. Mark knew though; he found him every time and took him home, thoroughly embarrassing him and shattering his reputation before he even had one.

Gunner sat on a bench, his head hung. Beside him was his cap, his shades and his bandana, the one he'd had specially made for the night. Around the top read 'Charles D. Scene', the D standing for Drinking as Charlie's character was a known drunk, and it had buildings around the bottom, Hollywood Buildings.

Gun's knuckles had turned white while blood pulsed through him. He'd blown it. Cassie would be forever in Derek's captivity now. The bastard had won.

"You lied to me."

Gunner's head shot up at the sound of his father's voice and he cringed; Mark looked pissed.

"Dad, I-"

"You blatantly lied to me." Mark growled at his son, his arms crossing over his chest. Gunner cowered; Mark was scary sometimes. "You deliberately disobeyed me."

Gunner opened his mouth to speak but Mark held up his hand.

"I tried to help you, Gun. But you lied to me. I trusted you to not fuck up this time so guess what." Gun didn't have time to respond; Mark hunched down so he was eye-level with his son and sneered.

"We're done."


	24. Now He Understands

Chapter Four: Now He Understands

A.N: Those of you who are fans of John Cena, will know where this next rap battle came from. It's been edited a bit, obviously, but it belongs solely to the Soon-To-Be EX-Champ John Cena and Paul 'The Big Show' White. Enjoy.

It wasn't until around 2AM that Gunner returned to the manor. It was dark, except for the light from the living room and the light from Anna's room shining down onto the front yard, two yellow beacons in the dark. The bronze haired boy stood in front of the door, eyeing the decorative brass knocker. If he went inside, his Dad would chew his head off, but if he didn't, Anna would chew it off. Either way he'd be a headless lunatic. God, he'd fucked up royal. He hadn't been this bad when April was around; she would have talked him out of it like the totally rational person she was. But she was gone.

Gunner slipped into the swing on the balcony and curled up, resting his cheek on his knees. Not only was his big sister gone from his life, for now at least, but he'd completely failed in out-rapping Derek for Cassie. Brilliant. He was going to feel guilty in the morning. Hell, he felt guilty right then and there. He could have stopped this… found some way around it all. But he'd walked headlong into the cross fire and was bound to have a few potholes. If only April was here.

_But she's not, is she Gun?_ A small voice in the back of his head said, causing him to turn his head so his nose sat between his knees. _She's gone because she couldn't handle it. You gonna be like her, kid? You gonna run away from your problems?_

Gunner looked up. His main problem was inside, probably pacing back and forth across the living room with his rage meter about to burst. Mark didn't know that Gunner had rapped to save Cassie from Derek. He wouldn't have done it otherwise. He would have sent his lyrics via email to Freddie, his friend from Hollywood (Also known as Funny-Man) who would have put music to them and so on. But when he'd found out he and Derek had one thing in common, rapping, he couldn't say no.

Gunner poked his head up through the window and saw Mark slump down onto the sofa, his red hair pulled free of its pony-tail. Zeus, the English mastiff they'd had forever, rested his chunky head on his master's lap. The boy nodded and climbed up from the swing, stepping into his house; he knew what he had to do.

Once in the living room entry arch, he instantly felt the cold chill that radiated from Mark. He brushed it off and spoke.

"Dad-"

"Gunner, I don't want to hear it," Mark said, not even giving his son a chance to explain. "I heard enough tonight."

"But, Dad-"

"-No 'buts' Gun. Go to bed before I lose-"

"I did it to help Cassie!"

It was silent in the room for a minute before Mark removed his hand from pinching the bridge of his nose and raised his head. His eyes narrowed, not out of anger, but confusion. He blinked a couple of times and Gun thought he might have burst a blood vessel of something because his face turned really red.

"What?"

"I…" now that he'd already said, he didn't know if he could say it again with as much feeling. Of course he could, to his friend's maybe. To his Dad? Not so much. "I did it to help Cassie."

"I've heard some whopper excuses in my life, Gun, but that bit of bullshit is unique to you," Mark said, sitting up, eyeing his son as if daring him to disagree.

"It's not bullshit!" Gun's temper had blown up now. Mark didn't give a shit about Cassie, which is what made Gun so mad. He didn't care if she got hurt, the self-righteous prick! "Derek, that bastard she's been 'with' for three years has been beating the fuck out of her just because she's my friend. I signed a contract to rap Derek to get her away from him. It was noble, not naïve." And with that, Gunner turned around and stormed up the stairs, slamming his bedroom door shut.

Mark watched this happen and blinked, his face turning a snow white. Whoops.

Anna stepped into the arch, leaning against it, Scott behind her.

"Nice one, Dad," she said, eyeing him. He looked at her.

"Why didn't he say something?" Mark asked, running his hand through his hair. Anna walked in and sat down beside him, scratching Zeus behind the ear as she answered her father.

"He knew how you'd react. You never approved of him rapping in the first place, Daddy." She rested her head against his chest and curled up, cuddling into his side like she had growing up. "He's just following his dream. 'Our Destinies are written in the stars-'"

"'-All you have to do is find them'," Mark finished.

That had been one of the only things Jodi had wanted her her kids; that they grew up to be healthy, that they found love, and that they followed their dreams. Mark had appreciated that, but after she'd died, he'd lost focus on the things that really mattered. Like Gun. God, how could he have been so stupid? Mark had been too over protective and had forced Gun to rebel, which had only made the Deadman mad. If he'd just sat back and listened, not forced his imposing will down his throat, he might still be the good kid he'd once been. April might still be here.

Anna took hold of her father's hand and stroked his knuckles as Scott sat down on a chair, watching them. The red-headed girl smiled and started singing softly.

_Na na, na na na, na na  
I miss you, miss you so bad  
I don't forget you, oh it's so sad  
I hope you can hear me  
I remember it clearly_

_The day you slipped away_  
_Was the day I found it won't be the same_  
_Ooooo_

The singing eventually faded as Anna drifted off to sleep, the steady thump of her father's heart her lullaby.

Mark noticed this and held her fingers, rubbing his thumb against the outside of her palm. Scott was still awake and watching them, his eyes drowsy. He was sleepy too.

"Do your parents know you're here?" Mark asked quietly as he unwound himself from Anna's hold. She murmured softly and cuddled into him as he hoisted her up, her head lolling onto his shoulder.

Scott shook his head, picking up Anna's book and satchel, following after Mark as he took his sleeping child upstairs.

"My mom is probably worried sick though," he said softly, opening her bedroom door. He and Mark stepped in and Mark gently placed Anna on her bed, pulling her covers over her. She snuggled deeper into the cushions and murmured a little, a strand of red hair from her pony-tail falling into her face. Scott brushed them away and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight, Bunny-boo. Sweet dreams." He whispered this so Mark wouldn't hear, but he did.

Mark's eyebrow rose as he dragged Scott by the collar from the room. He shut Anna's door behind him and roughly thrust Scott against the wall. The blonde boy blinked as Mark crossed his arms over his chest.

"You love her, don't you?"

This startled Scott for a second; his voice caught in his throat and he forgot how to speak. How do you respond to something like that? All he could do was nod. It was true; he did love Anna. She'd saved his life so many times; he was getting better grades in school and actually attending now and his cocaine habit was now just a distant memory. Sure, he still had a few bad habits to kick like knocking his father out whenever he saw him, but he was trying. He didn't want Anna to give up on him and think him a loser.

Mark nodded with him, leaning against the wall. Scott seemed, to him at least, like the type of guy who'd fuck and run, like Chris. But Mark was determined to prove that wrong. He didn't want Anna to have to go through the same thing April did. That would be way too much for his heart to take.

"If you can prove to me that you really care about her, and aren't just some one-track, one-night-stand-and-run guy, I might let you two continue the relationship." He stepped close to Scott and the smaller man shrank in size. That didn't happen very often, but compared to Mark Calaway, it wasn't a surprise. "If you can't and you hurt her, I will cut off your balls and strangle you with your entrails; understand?"

Scott gulped and nodded his head; he understood completely. Mark nodded and unfolded his massive, tattooed arms, running a hand through his hair. "If she's still awake, give your mom a call and let her know you're okay. You can crash in one of the guest rooms tonight. Night." He pat Scott on the shoulder and went to the staircase, calling for his dog. Zeus galloped up the stairs and ran straight for the bedroom, followed closely by Mark. Scott turned and went downstairs to call his mom before going to bed.

~X~

Next morning, Anna woke up to the sun shining on her face and a bird singing on the windowsill. It was a blue jay who had built a nest in the tree outside her window. She grinned as it started singing. She climbed out of bed, pulled on her robe and tied her unruly red hair into a tight pony-tail. She tied the cord around her neck and grinned as she spin, the tassels at the bottom twirling around her ankles. She giggled and twirled around, her robe still spinning.

She left her room and twirled straight into Scott who looked like he'd had a good night's sleep. This surprised him for a second and he stepped back into the wall. It was quiet for a moment before he smiled and placed a tender kiss on her forehead, lacing his fingers with hers. She smiled and leaned up, standing on one leg to kiss her jaw.

In about four seconds, Scott's free hand had curled around her leg and he dipped her down so her pony-tail touched the floor. She giggled as he drew affectionate circles on her outer thigh with his fingers.

"How did you sleep, my sweet Bunny?" he asked, pulling her back to her feet. She giggled and twirled herself in his arms so they were wrapped around him.

"I slept like I did when I was a kid; perfectly."

Scott smiled and tucked a strand of her radiant red hair behind her ear, squeezing her fingers. "Let's go downstairs."

She nodded as he tugged her down the hall. When they reached the kitchen, they were surprised to see a pair of legs in the air, tanned and cross at the ankles. Anna looked over the counter top, grinning when she saw Gunner standing on his head with his arms crossed behind him so he didn't fall on his ass.

"Gun, what are you doing?"

Gun opened an eye and looked up at them but it was the voice behind Scott that answered.

"He's standing on his head to make the blood rush to it to give him ideas for a new rap," Mark said as he entered the kitchen, his red hair tied back in a half-pony. Gun nodded his head, and this caused him to topple over but, because he spent almost every morning in the gym doing that sort of thing, he landed on his feet, his floppy bronze hair in his face as he drank down some OJ.

"No doubt I'm the best, but I still need new material," he said, high-fiving his Dad as he left the room.

Anna and Scott raised their eyebrows. That didn't happen very often. Mark usually scowled at Gun when anything to do with hip-hop and rap was mentioned, now he seemed okay with it. Maybe her words had sunk in.

Gun came back into the room with his jeans on and his skateboard over his shoulders as Scott's cell phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and flipped it open. 'Cassie' flashed across the screen and he answered it.

"What's up, shortie?" he asked. Cassie giggled on the other end.

"Derek's down at the pier trying to redeem his name after last night. He's calling Gun out again," She said, ducking behind a pole as the waves below around her.

"I'll let him know. Thanks Cass-Cass." He hung up just as she did and turned to Gun. "Derek's down at the pier calling you out."

Gunner merely rolled his eyes and put his skateboard on the ground, kicking at on end so it smacked him in the knee, but he was so used to it he didn't feel it. Mark snorted from the doorway as he scratched his back against the frame.

"You gonna let him call you out, Ace, or are you gonna walk away?"

Gun smirked. "Mom always said you were the bigger person if you walked away from a fight."

"That's true, but she also said its right to stand up for yourself," Mark added and winked at his only son, smirking.

Gun grinned and slipped his hoody on. "Who's up for a rematch?"

~X~

Once they reached the pier, Gun noticed just how serious about redeeming himself Derek really was. He'd gotten his friends from the club to join him and most of the audience that had been there. Cassie was waiting for them at the entrance, smile on her face. She didn't seem to hate Gun for running last night because she pulled him into a hug when she saw him. Gun's arms wrapped around her in a tight hug as his chin rested against her shoulder, the grape flavoured shampoo from her hair invading his senses. She pulled back and looked him in the eye, saying everything she needed too; she cared about him, and she didn't hate him for running.

"He's in the gazebo," she said, turning to look at the pier. Gunner's eyes followed her finger to Derek who was sitting on the railing, waiting for him to come over. He smirked at him, obviously not afraid of a verbal beat down. He figured Gun would run again. Gun led the way as the four of them stepped onto the boardwalk, Cassie's hand linked with Gun's.

"Hey, pretty-boy," Derek sneered as Gun stepped up. Being almost seven feet tall and a little over two-hundred-and-fifty pounds, he was very intimidating. Gun stepped back a bit before snapping his neck muscles.

"You can go first this time," Gun said, smirking. "Let's see what you got."

Derek coughed and started his rap.

_Yo, My name is Derek and there ain't none meaner,  
Last night, I punked out you, Charlie Scene.  
Yo dude, I done punked you out all over town,  
What'cha gonna do, boy? I'm 300 pounds!_

Gun snickered but let him continue.

_Look at you, looking at me. You ain't nothing, I'm a giant.  
In my world, you the white girl, and I'm Kobe Bryant!_

The crowd laughed and Gun merely rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest.

_Nah dawg, you can't see me.  
On the mic, I'm better then you on the stick.  
Matter of fact, my finger, is bigger than your dick._

The crowd laughed even more and Gunner nodded his head, smirking.

_Yo, could you repeat that last line, I didn't quite get that.  
I just heard your heavy breathing, you choking on your neck fat._

The crowd laughed as loud as he'd ever heard them but he waved for them to stop. They did and he continued.

_Man, I can't believe how outta shape you getting.  
You've been talking for thirty seconds and you already sweating.  
Dude, did you eat from the toilet? Coz I'm smelling' mysterious gasses.  
Oh dude, close your mouth you got the breath of a thousand asses._

Cassie could hardly breathe she was laughing so hard.

_Yo, it's either that or you rocking some phony pits,  
You just a fat slob with hairy baloney tits.  
You need to hit those sit-ups too, you ain't exactly the leanest.  
Forget seeing me bro, you can't see your own penis!_

The crowd roared with approval as Derek's face and neck flushed a dark red. Cassie yelled 'It's funny coz its true!' over the din and they laughed even harder.

_Dude, mine's bigger then yo' finger; it's as big as your whole head.  
You think I'm coming up short? That's not what your mom said.  
But this is a battle rap, and I ain't gonna get hurt.  
How am I gonna get dissed by the white Fat Albert._

Derek's temple started to throb as Gun stepped up in front of him, his eyes mockingly serious.

_So now your rap career is over, its time for you to quit.  
There ain't no room around here for a talking piece of shit._

Gun smirked as Derek glared. Coby and Jeremy both nodded and raised Gun's hand. He'd one, of course. Anna hadn't doubted it. Gun simply grinned as he left the gazebo with Cassie by his side, now completely official. She and Scott followed after him.

The day had started out pretty good, but it wouldn't stay that way.


	25. Lunch Truck Beatdown

Chapter Five: Lunch Truck Beat-down

A.N: I know, its really Gunner based right now, but when we get further into Summer Vacation, around the end of June, beginning of July, we'll be focussing on Anna for a bit then both of them. Deal with it! Also, the lunch truck rap belongs to Eminem and is from 8-Mile. Have fun!

After leaving the pier to find a different form of entertainment, Gun, Cassie, Scott and Anna wandered up the coast, each couple hand in hand. Gun twirled Cassie under his arm and held her close to him, whispering sweet nothings in her ear as she giggled and wrapped her arms over his, holding him close to her. This made Gun all the more seductive as his breath lingered on her neck, causing Goosebumps along her gentle skin.

Anna and Scott watched this whole thing unfold and Scott merely laughed. His girlfriend looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.

"What are you laughing at?" she asked quietly, curling her fingers tighter around his. Scott shook his head and squeezed back.

"Ahh nothing. Just… Derek never treated Cassie like that. He always treated her like she was his property; he owned her and could do what he liked." He turned to Anna and smiled at her. She smiled and cuddled into his arm as they continued their walk towards the plaza.

Windward Plaza was crammed full of kids from Venice Beach High, and some from even further into Los Angeles, even as far as Hollywood. Freddie Jones, known as Anna and Gunner as Funnyman, turned and greeted them when he saw them, bumping knuckles with Gun and hugging Anna tightly for longer than Scott would have liked. The five of them stood out the front of the lunch truck that catered for underprivileged youth, chatting away.

"Yo J," Freddie said to Anna, rubbing her shoulder innocently with the back of his finger. She shivered and giggled, looking at him. It was all innocent fun. Freddie had come out to all of his friends and most of the community that he was Gay, and this hadn't surprised anyone. "Where's Diablo at?"

Anna bit her lip as he said that; Diablo was April, the Devil in Disguise. She and Freddie had been relatively close, even for a white girl and a black boy.

Sensing her hesitation, Freddie hugged her around the shoulders and rubbed them affectionately. "I'll drop the topic." Anna smiled in thanks, just as Gunner let out a disgruntled groan.

Across the ways, standing beside the lunch truck with a tray in his hands, was Mike Damien, also known as D-Mackie. He'd been a rival of both Freddie and Gunner for the longest of time. They both hated him, but he was too busy shutting a Negro girl down to see them.

"I can't believe I'm hearing all this ravin and ranting.  
From Vanessa up in here at the New LA stamping.  
You need to get your food and take your ass back to work.  
You're dreaming if you think them corny ass raps will work.  
Look at ya'll freezing out here like dumb fucks,  
rapping away for food off this raggedy lunch truck.

Who want what? Who pumped up? To get rolled up.  
I spit venom in every direction, soak some up.  
Look at this fat ass nigga, sloppy sucker.  
You an ugly mother fucker  
your pop should've wore a rubber."

Mackie's attention turned from the girl, Vanessa, to Freddie and Gun who had stopped at the front of the crowd.

"Stop rhyming keep your day job Vanessa.  
Next time leave that bull shit home on the dresser.  
Speaking of dresses take a look at Freddie the fruitcake.  
When you travel you probably pack panties in your suitcase.  
Made out of lace from Victoria's secret.  
If 10 men came in a cup you'd probably drink it."

Freddie glared and went to go smash his face in when Gun stopped him. The younger boy's hand slapped against his Hollywood Undead (their rap band) shirt and shook his head. Freddie was a good rapper, no doubt, but Mike was so much better than he was, even he knew it. So Gun, with his new found confidence, stepped up.

"Ok folks enough with the gay jokes  
especially from a gay broke bitch yourself, eh loc?  
His style is doo doo.  
You've lived here longer then me  
and I get paid more than you do.  
Dawg, take a seat.  
What's this guy standing in line for? He ain't got money to eat."

Like the battle at the pier, everyone burst out laughing as a dark red glow came to Mackie's cheeks. It was true; Mackie had been living in the LA area a lot longer than Gunner, and had been working at a burger king with minimum wages. Gun didn't even work and he had more money than him. Mackie couldn't rap either so there was no point trying.

"Check this out yo yo.  
This guy cashed his whole pay check and bought 1 ho ho.  
Fucking homo little maggot.  
You can't hack it.  
Funny's gay ... you're a faggot.  
At least he admits it. Don't even risk it.  
This guy's starving to death someone get him a biscuit!"

The crowd laughed again and Mackie's eyes widened. He'd been shot down again, but Gunner wasn't finished just yet. Rules of a rap battle are; address everything said. He hadn't done everything yet.

"I don't know what they told you Mackie ...  
you must had them corn rolls rolled too tight.  
This job you wanna quit but you can't.  
You've worked at this plant so long ... you're a plant.  
Look at your god dam boots  
for Christ sakes they're starting to grow roots."

Mackie looked at his shoes as Gunner continued, grinning.

"On this mic you get faded.  
You look like a pissed off rapper who never made it.  
Hey why you fucking with gay guy G?  
When really you're the one who's got the HIV.  
Man I'm done with this clown he's soft.  
Fuck it ... I'll let home girl finish you off."

He high-fived Vanessa and put his arm around Cassie who was giggling like mad. Scott and Anna snorted laughter as Gun made a face that said; "Yeah? You just got your ass handed to ya. How do you feel?" Mackie glared but shook his head and headed off before Vanessa could finish him.

"That's called skill," Gun said as he and his friends wound up the path leading away from the pier and the boardwalk.

"Hell yes," Scott said, high-fiving his friend. "You completely destroyed both Derek and that Mackie dude. You so totally rock dude."

Gunner put his arms out a little and bowed his head, all smug like, and this only made the two girls giggle.

Everything was well until Scott's name was yelled over the din of people on the street. Scott turned towards the sound of the voice and caught sight of his slightly younger sister, Penny, running up the street towards him, tears staining her skin. His defenses shot up instantly and he released Anna's hand, pulling away from her.

The youngest Calaway girl turned as he ran, shouting his name after him. He didn't listen and kept running towards his sister.

When he reached her, he dropped to his knees and she curled into his arms, crying her eyes out.

"Penny," he said softly, rubbing the eleven-year-old's back. Penny and Grace had come to visit from their father's house in New Jersey for the beginning of Summer but Scott hadn't had much time for them, so seeing Penny in a fit of tears was completely unexpected. "What's wrong, sissy?"

"Dad's gone crazy!" Was all Penny could say before Scott's rage took over him. His dad. Of course. The asshole had returned for his children and his mother had said no, striking at his father's inflated ego. No one said no to Anthony Levy, not even his ex wife.

Anna put a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder and Penny looked up at her. Anna's face fell; she looked so much like Scott.

"Scottie?" she asked. Scott shook his head and stood, his boofy blood hair shaking as he shook with rage. Cassie and Gunner came up beside Anna and looked at him. Cassie was the first to speak.

"That's not good."

Anna looked between them and saw Scott's fingers curl into a fist. She walked around him and placed her hand on his shoulder, her thumb tracing over his neck. He looked mad with rage. Before it had been lust, now it was rage. Mood swings much? She curled her hand around his neck and forced him to look at her.

"Scott Anthony Levy, you are not going to that house." She knew him well enough to know that's what was on his mind. If Scott Levy wasn't popular, he sure as hell was loyal. The reason she didn't want him to go was because of that; his loyalty would get him killed.

"My father dies if he's touched Gracie or my mom," Scott said flatly and picked up Penny, holding the eleven year old close to him. He looked her in the eye, though she kept rubbing hers to get rid of the tears leaking from them. "You go with Anna and Cass-Cass and you stay with them, okay?"

"But-"

"No buts, Penelope. You stay with Anna and Cassie." Scott stared at his baby sister until she nodded and started chewing on her wrist band as he put her on the ground. As he went to leave, Anna grabbed his arm.

"Scott-"

"I know," he whispered back. He pulled her close by the loops of her black denim skirt and put his arms around her waist. "I'll be careful."

Anna smiled sadly at him before he kissed her goodbye, running off down the street and weaving his way through people, heading towards the ghetto part of Venice Beach.


	26. Old Friends

Chapter Seven: Old Friend

Anna woke up the next morning curled up in her bed, still dressed in her clothes from yesterday. She turned over to face the wall, spying her clock on the wall. It was one of those custom clocks that had a picture in the back of it, taken by her sister. She smiled, spying the photo of herself and Gunner from two years ago, when they were celebrating Halloween. Gun had dressed up as Freddy Kruger while Anna had dressed up as his first person to be tormented in the first Nightmare on Elm Street film, Nancy. They'd won a contest and April had taken a picture of them to celebrate. Now the clock sat on Anna's wall, while its Alarm clock counterpart was in Gunner's room.

Just as Anna sat up and rubbed her hair, her door opened and Gun bound in, Cassie not too far behind him. Gun fell onto Anna's bed, attempting to shield his face as Cassie beat him to death with a pillow. Really all Anna could do was cock her head to the side and watch.

Gun, from under his arms, looked at his sister.

"I may or may not have insulted her brother," he said, explaining why he was dying. Anna mouthed 'Oh' before giggling.

"That giggle sounds familiar."

Anna's breath caught in her throat. That rough voice, that sweet scent of Old Spice. It could only be one person. She turned her head to the door way and almost fainted at the sight of her former boyfriend, Randy Orton.

He still looked the same way he had when she'd said goodbye, all those months ago when they'd lived in Saint Louis. His hair was that same beautiful brunette colour that she'd loved then and loved now. His eyes, those piercing blue eyes that had haunted her day-dreams, now stared at her with intense affection; he hadn't truly gotten over her.

A bubble of happiness rose within Anna's chest and she climbed from her bed, practically jumping into Randy's arms. He caught her, thankfully, but he was still surprised at her sudden movement. Her lips suddenly went to his, her passion and energy pouring from her mouth and into him like a toxin.

Remembering what she was doing though, Anna pulled herself away and dropped to her feet. She and Randy stared at each other for a minute, Anna rubbing the back of her neck in a nervous way.

"What the hell was that?" Gun asked, having restrained Cassie by sitting on her waist and pinning her arms down. When he'd seen Anna get up as fast as she did, he'd turned to see her reaction to Randy, not really knowing she'd pounce him the way she did.

"I… have no idea," Randy said after a moment. He hadn't expected that. When Anna had said goodbye to him for the last time, she'd sung to him, a song that made his heart swell with hopeless longing, a longing that only her touch could quench.

"I shouldn't have done that," Anna said, quick enough that her three companions heard it, but she disappeared through the doorway and out into the main part of the house anyway.

~X~

"Is it just me," Mark said as he watched Anna leave the house, Randy, Gunner and Cassie not too far behind her, "Or are our children prone to causing drama?" He turned to his companion, 'Cowboy' Bob Orton, his former colleague and Randy's father, and rose his eyebrow.

Bob shrugged and took a swig of his coffee. He'd brought Randy to see Anna, knowing how much his son wanted to see her, when he'd found out the Calaway's now lived in Venice Beach. The Orton family, including Randy and his little sister Melanie, had all moved from Saint Louis to Venice Beach in hopes that Melanie could go to the music academy when she was older. Randy was thrilled at the prospect of seeing Anna and had agreed to move.

"They'll be causing a lot more drama now that we live here," Bob said, and this caused Mark to laugh.

This would be one hell of a summer vacation if Randy and Anna got back together.

~X~

Randy found Anna down by the pier, in the same place Scott had confessed his love to her. She was seated on a rock, her arms curled around her legs in a protective embrace, the waves nipping at her toes. Her head was rested against her knees, and he knew she was upset. His heart broke all over again to see her that way. They'd been together for almost three weeks, and he'd fallen in love with her. He'd wanted to tell her the day she left, but her tears had shut him up. She hadn't wanted to leave, but she had, and it had broken his heart to see her go. From what he could understand, and from what Gunner had told him this morning, Anna had moved on with a boy named Scott Levy, and he had left without another word, and it had broken her with worry. They hadn't broken up exactly, but Gunner suspected Scott wouldn't be back.

"Annie," Randy said quietly, stepping up behind her. Her head jerked up and looked at him. He smiled and sat down beside her, if not uncomfortably as he was sitting on a rock.

"Hey," she said softly, wiping her tears away. She smiled at him, a new batch of tears drizzling down her face. "You called me Annie."

Randy grinned. "Been a while since someone called you Annie?"

Anna smiled and wiped away more tears. The last time she'd been called Annie, was the last time she'd seen Randy.

"A while, yeah," she replied meekly, her voice barely a whisper over the roar of the waves

Randy grinned at her and leaned back on his haunches. "Get used to it because I'm here to stay, and sticking to you like glue."

"A team of wild horses couldn't tear us apart," Anna said with a giggle. She was quoting Elvis Presley's song, Stuck On You, but he'd get it. They were always so close. Randy grinned in return. "How long are you in L.A for?"

"As long as I want to be, really." he smirked, running a set of fingers through his hair. He was nervous; he really shouldn't be, but he hadn't seen Anna in months, and he'd missed her. She was still the same old Annie, his Annie. He loved her, and if he ever met this Scott guy, he'd probably hit him for hurting her.

"Are you enrolled at Venice Beach High?" Anna asked, crossing her legs and facing him. He shrugged.

"Dad hasn't put me in anywhere yet, he's thinking St Martin's Prep in Beverly Hills."

Anna rolled her eyes.

Typical Ortons; always looking for the Best.

~X~

After Bob went home, Mark switched on his computer and leaned back in his chair in his office. Zeus was curled up on his bed, chewing on a bone. Mark reached down to scratch his head as his load screen booted up, showing his IM page. Three people were online; Kevin Nash, Bret Hart, and Sara Grace.

Mark smiled at the name Sara. They'd been talking for a few months, and had gotten very close. She lived in Austin, in the estate next door to his mother, and had been friends with Jodi in high-school. They'd met at an autograph signing and he was slightly smitten. She hadn't met his kids yet but that didn't stop them from flirting and chatting each other up. It was fun, and maybe it would lead somewhere.

He clicked her name.

_Deadman Walking says:  
Good morning, my dear._

He clicked send then clicked onto Kevin's name.

_Deadman Walking says:  
My daughter better be sitting in the breakfast nook of your apartment having her breakfast or asleep. If not, I'm going to have your entrails for streamers, understand?_

It took a while but he eventually got a response.

_BigSexy says:  
She's eating a bowl of cornflakes. Good morning Mark. I can't chat though I've gotta flight to catch. Bah-bye deadman._

Mark grinned as he closed the window and returned to Sara's tab.

_SaraGrace says:  
Good morning handsome. How's the sunshine treating you today?_

_Deadman Walking says:  
I'm sitting in my study, which just so happens to be the basement. So yeah, no sunshine down here._

_SaraGrace says:  
Well you're wasting your time in L.A then aren't you? Hehe. _

_Deadman Walking says:  
Austin's better?_

_SaraGrace says:  
I've moved my beast of a computer to the day room, with all the windows open, a cup of iced-tea and my wind-chymes tinkling in the breeze. Its heaven, my love._

Mark laughed. That honestly didn't surprise him. Sara was the type of person to enjoy the sunshine while it lasted, and still cuddle up in hoodies and blankets and enjoy winter. She was just a generally happy person.

_Something I need in my life right now,_ he thought as he typed back his reply.

_Deadman Walking says:  
Gimme a glass of whiskey on the rocks and I'm there._

It took a moment but Mark patiently waited for Sara's reply.

_SaraGrace says:  
That's what I love about you, Mark; you always make the best of every situation._

Mark smiled as he concluded the conversation. Talking with Sara made him smile like no one else.

It was definitely about time they met.


	27. The Bratz Journal

Chapter Eight: The Bratz Diary

Anna, Gun, Cassie and Randy returned to Calaway Manor at lunch time, to find Mark sitting on the sofa in the living room, a Fed-Ex package sitting on his lap. When he saw the four teenagers enter the room, he put his finger to his lips as if to tell them to be quiet.

"I understand." Brief pause as he listened. Anna flopped down onto the sofa next to Randy while Cassie and Gun went upstairs. Anna looked at her father as he handed her the fed-ex package. "Yeah, she just got ba- Kevin, I know. Look I can't change her mind, and my guess its Gun and Anne won't be able to either. It's up to her when she wants to come back." He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. Anna blinked at him. "Yeah, ok. Talk to you later." He hung up and looked at Anna. "Your sister is incredibly frustrating."

Anna giggled and open the package. Two things slipped out; another package wrapped in brown paper and a video tape. She rolled her eyes and crawled over to the VCR, slipping the tape in and turning on the TV. Hitting play, she sat back against the coffee table and watched as April's near-neon green eyes appeared in focus.

"Is it on?" April said, staring off camera.

"Yes." Scott Hall's voice in the background.

April sat back and smiled. "Hi, Annabelly. Surprised to see me?" _Four days after the first video,_ Anna thought but she kept her eyes on the screen, feeling her Dad sit down beside her. Randy stayed on the sofa. April smiled at the camera. "Just a few days between this video and my explanation video." She shrugged and Anna giggled. "This video is gonna be a little bit shorter, due to there not needing to be much content."

Gunner walked into the room just as April bobbed her head down. He stopped, mid-chew of his donut when he saw that April was looking down at the package on Anna's lap.

"That's creepy."

"Shut up, Ace," Anna said, picking up the package.

"Before you open it," April said, smiling softly at her baby-sister. "I wanna tell you a bit of a story." Anna tilted her head, confused. "Once Upon Shooting Star, four little girls of barely fifteen decided to start a club. They called themselves the Bratz. And with that club came a book. The book was known as the Bratz Journal; a place where, everyday, the Bratz would write down their thoughts. Every six months, the book would change hands to whoever needed it the most, to write whatever they want, and to send to the next person." She paused, sighing a little. "Anna, I think the next person who needs it the most is you. I've been gone almost a week and I know how upset you must be, I can feel it." She placed her hand on her heart. "In here. It hurts, and I know why. Because you miss me." She smiled. "Before you start writing your entry, I'd like you to read my last few. Just so you know what I've been up to."

April smiled again, a sad smile as she kissed her fingers and waved at the camera.

"I love you, Bunny-Boo. Never forget that."

April reached forward to fiddle with the camera and the screen went dark.

Anna looked down at the package and ripped it open. Out slipped something she was very familiar with; The Bratz Journal. It had a white cover with, written in Graffitti writing, 'Bratz Journal' with 'Defenders of Anarchy' written under it in Ashley's usual, messy scrawl. She stroked her hand across the front, her fingers feeling the indents where the writing was. She smiled, flipping the book open to the last few pages that had writing on them.

_Date, June 9__th__, 1996  
Bratz Girl: Angel  
Location: Chicago, Illinois_

_Three days clean. _

_I don't know why I let him do this to me, its not healthy for the baby. I suppose it's not healthy for me either. Chris says I should get over Irvine but that's hard to do. I've been thinking over the last few days and I've come to realise that I was actually in love with that idiot. _

_Can you imagine? Angel, the Bitch Jester of all Bitch Jesters fell in love. With an ass-hole, no less, and got herself knocked up. If that doesn't elevate me to Bitch Princess status, I don't know what will. _

_My stomach still hurts from the last time I cut myself. Kevin and Scott don't know I do it. Chris does, and he understands. He knows that I can't have the emotional pain right now; the baby can't handle it._

_I miss Bunny-Boo and Ace. I've watched over them for so long, being the oldest, that not seeing them every day hurts so much. It physically hurts. My emotions, though, have gone on hiatus. The only thing I feel is... yearning. _

_I want to go home._

_~~Angel_

By this point, Anna's hand had cupped her mouth and she'd fallen into Randy's arms as her body convulsed with tears.

Angel was in pain; in serious, emotional pain.

~X~

Anna stayed in her room for most of the day, only allowing Randy's company and Gunner when he brought her food. The sun moved slowly across the sky as she read page after page of April's entries in the journal. She'd gone through so much in so little time it was a wonder she could still function.

Randy had his eyes narrowed while looking at the journal. Anna had been called downstairs for an unknown reason, which left him alone with the book. He shouldn't be reading it, obviously, but April's very last entry before she mailed the book to Anna struck him as odd. He didn't dare read any further back, unless he wanted to get punched by Anna, which he didn't, so when she returned to the bedroom, he smiled softly to her.

"I swear I didn't read any further back then this part," he said, handing her the book as she sat down, cross-legged, beside him on the bed. Anna raised her eyebrow, sipping on her tea, as she rested her head on his shoulder. He instinctively curled an arm around her shoulders. "I found it interesting because it doesn't have the same format and styling as the one before it." Anna raised her head to look at him. He grinned. "And before you ask, I didn't actually read what was written, I skimmed."

Anna smiled and looked back down at the journal, her mug warming her hand as she read.

**Final Bratz Entry (For Now)- Angel**

**For all the brats everywhere.**

_**A Circle's Round, It Has No End;  
That's How Long I Want To Be Your Friend.**_

**Tear off the mask and stop pretending. Your Bratz know the truth.  
Want to put the puzzle together?  
Your weakness in your strength.  
Lose your mind to find your heart.  
Through rage, make peace.  
Dig deep. Make it hurt. Make it bleed.  
We fucking dare you!  
**_**Greater love hath no woman than this, that lay down her life for her friends.  
**_**A boy's not going to save you.  
A baby's not going to save you.  
A book's not going to save you.  
God's not going to save you.  
But you'll always have your girls, and don't you ever forget it.  
**_**As long as the stars are fixed in the heavens, and the fish sparkle in the sea.  
**_**Don't worry, rabbit. Your girls will forgive you if you leave us for a boy.  
We'll forgive you if you shoot for the stars and forget us here on Earth.  
If we never see you again, that's okay. We'll always have the memories.  
But be honest. Scratch the surface and see a glimmer of yourself. Gouge deeper and harder until it hurts so bad you want to die.  
**_**This is my blood**_**.  
And now we're all broken, and now we're all alone, and now we're all sad and small and not making much sense.  
But you'll never get found if you don't get lost.  
**_**Now we see through a glass darkly, but then we shall see face to face.  
**_**Take a hard look:  
Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.**

Anna stared at the last sentence for longer than she thought. It took a while for her to even move, so Randy nudged her.

"You okay?" He asked, his voice soft. Anna bobbed her head once.

"I worry about Angel enough, and now she's writing Cryptic Bullshit in our journal." Anna sighed, sitting up and finishing off her tea. She placed the cup on the side-table, sighed, and looked at Randy. "She never used to write cryptic bullshit, ever. But I guess she's changed." She looked back down at the journal on her lap, rereading the last few sentences.

Randy smiled and placed a kiss on her temple. "Even if she is acting a bit odd, morbid and all that, she's still your sister, and no one will ever take her away from you." He rested his head on hers, relishing in the warmth that spread through him. He was so happy to have her in his arms. "And to double the fun, she's your twin, so you guys have that whole-" he moved his hand in a circular motion "-twin thing."

Anna laughed. He was right, of course; Anna and April had always known what the other was thinking, even before they did. When April had decided to get her belly-button pierced, Anna had known right from the start. And, to make matters weirder, she'd felt the needle going through her skin, even when it was going through April's. Though psychic-links weren't unheard of between twins, they weren't very common either.

"I just hope she's okay," Anna whispered, closing the book. It sat, unmoving and unfeeling on her lap, though she felt every tear and jerk of the hand April had had as she was writing it.

Randy stroked her head. "Annie, if you think about it, April's telling you something."

Anna sat up and looked into his eyes, those eyes she could get lost in.

"What? That she's sick? Going crazy? What is she telling me?"

Randy smiled softly and stroked her cheek, his thumb gently sliding under her eye, wiping away the last traces of her tears. "That she's lost and trying to find herself. _You can never be found if you don't get lost._"

Anna's mouth scrunched to the side and Randy had to stop himself from laughing. She looked adorable.

"I just wish-"

"She was home?" Anna scowled and gently bat his hand away. "Annie, she's a Calaway; if I've learned anything from dating you and being around Mark and Gun, its that you don't fuck with one." Anna's eyebrow rose. Randy smiled. "She'll come home when she's ready. No one can force her to do anything she doesn't want to do, or tell her where to go. When she figures out who she is, she'll come back."

Anna smiled and cuddled into him, finding comfort somewhere she hadn't in a very long time.

Having Randy in her life again might not be such a bad thing after all.


End file.
